Johannesburg It’s quiet in Etwatwa: there’s no sign of the deadly rage that engulfed the streets of the East Rand township two weeks ago.
Groups of youngsters, mostly men, squat on the pavements as others play a game of dice. In the Mandela section, wandering children fill the dusty streets while adults seek shade under the trees.
Nearly 152 000 people live in the township, according to the 2011 census, but more and more, many of its residents live in fear that the war between the One Vision Lover (OVL) and Eight Million gangs will break out again.
Earlier this month, gang attacks here escalated.
A mob necklaced 16-year-old twins Sabelo and Samkelo Mayisela in a rampage. Two more teenagers were also set alight and killed.
Life in Etwatwa has become perilous. Even now some residents hide in their homes to keep out of trouble.
“During the day it’s okay. But at night, the OVLs attack us and break into our homes. They attack people in the dark,” explains one resident, who doesn’t want to be named.
Those residents with perimeter walls are fortunate, she believes.
“At least you feel protected because you can lock your gates.
“If you don’t have these at your place, they simply walk in and knock on the door to attack you.”
She alleges that local police failed to prevent the fights, and that only the intervention by the police’s tactical response team has managed to calm the township.
“We live in fear. Mostly we fear for our children’s lives, as they may be attacked at schools where these gangs are most active,” she says.
“This has been going on for a while. If (the authorities) cared, these OVL boys could have been behind bars. Their identities are known. Now their parents have placed them with relatives somewhere, to prevent them from being arrested.”
She can’t afford to send her children to nearby Daveyton to study.
“Most parents had the opportunity to transfer their children to attend schools in Daveyton because the violence started in February and escalated to this. I was one of them, but I don’t have the money.”
Increased police visibility has meant that the violent clashes between the warring gangs have ceased – for now.
Another local resident, a 21-year-old woman, who also asked not to be named, fears the OVLs will seek revenge on the Eight Million gang members once the dust had settled.
“They might retaliate once everyone has forgotten about this. It’s quiet now in the streets. Most of them have fled the township.”
Since the beginning of the year, residents of Extension 8 in the Mandela Section have fallen prey, daily, to the OVL gang.
“They attacked the residents by stealing from their homes or mugging them. I think they (the residents) got upset and turned on them. In most cases, the OVL (gang) would go looking for the Eight Million gang members in Extension 8.
“Maybe the residents got tired and agreed to work with the other gang to fight the OVL (gang).”
The OVL gang, which is known for terrorising residents of Etwatwa, was initially formed to fight the nyaope drug scourge in the community.
“Firstly, the initiative was accepted by residents. We were supportive of them because no one wanted these smokers near their homes.
“But as soon as we realised that more people were joining the gang to do crime, then things changed in the township. Gunshots and attacks on people became a regular thing,” she adds.
She describes the gang as cruel.
“They go house to house, searching for boys to join the gang. They force them to join the gang. People sometimes hide their children. We are no longer safe. We fear them.
“We are afraid to even mention the word ‘OVL’ because you are easily attacked. They will question you or force you to reveal any information that you know about them,” she says.
According to an 18-year-old who attends the same school, the gang members travel in groups: “You’ll never see a member on his own. Even when they are walking on the streets, they walk in groups as if they are marching.
Since the police started patrolling local schools, disruptions have decreased.
“Most gang members at school have fled – especially those in higher grades. But on Monday, a Grade 12 member was at school to write his exams,” she says.
Saturday Star