Lavender Hill residents demand action over ongoing violence

File photo: Flickr.com

File photo: Flickr.com

Published Mar 19, 2018

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Community organisations in the Lavender Hill area say residents are being held hostage as a result of the ongoing violence, which they said had claimed 15 lives in the past six months.

This came out after a meeting with police, the Steenberg Community Policing Forum, local councillors, religious leaders and community organisation representatives yesterday to discuss ways to end the violence.

Among those in attendance were Steenberg station commander and Muizenberg SAPS Captain Stephen Knapp.

The meeting came a week after the shooting and killing of 16-year-old Courtney Jackson outside his home in Steenberg. His friend Yaseen Miller was wounded during the drive-by attack.

Community leader Ralph Bouwers, of Guardian of the National Treasure, a local upliftment organisation, said: “It has been estimated that about 15 residents have lost their lives in the sporadic gang shootings over the last six months in the Lavender Hill area.

“These shootings in Lavender Hill, Seawinds, St Montague Village, Hill View, Capricorn, Steenberg and Retreat have traumatic impacts on our children and vulnerable adults.

“It obviously affects the education of our children and puts a lot of stress on parents going to work, and being worried about their children and their own safety.

“What we are hoping to hear is what police are going to do to end the violence,” he said.

Mymoena Scholtz, of Where Rainbows Meet Training and Development Organisation, said: “Communities are being held hostage.

"Children and adults should be allowed to walk freely, without fear.

"We are all at risk from the violence.”

She said residents were fed up with the violence and with calling for the government to intervene.

Besides Steenberg SAPS commanding officer Colonel Alexander and Knapp, a number of local ward councillors attended the meeting.

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