Police minister Bheki Cele is visiting the Sophiatown community of Westbury on Thursday following four days of running gun battles that have seen 13 people shot.
Violence erupted in Westbury following the murder of an alleged drug kingpin last week.
Cele is accompanied by the Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili, and they are expected to be briefed on the crime levels in Westbury and Newclare.
[HAPPENING NOW] emotions are high this morning as @SAPoliceService top brass are meeting with #Westbury community leaders and organised community structures, following a spate of gang violence that has claimed two lives and left 11 people injured since last Friday. pic.twitter.com/hxV4XOuakg
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) March 2, 2023
According to police, six shooting incidents have been reported since Friday, February 25, 2023. Two people have died and 11 others were injured.
The police ministry said the purpose of the meeting was to establish the effectiveness of the operational response to the violence, which includes, among other SAPS units, Crime Intelligence, Public Order Police, the Technical Response Team and Anti-Gang Unit as well as additional detectives.
News of the shootings has sent shock waves across the community, which has seen a resurgence of gun violence linked to drugs, turf wars and gangsterism.
Action SA president Herman Mashaba called on police to intensify efforts to deal with gang-related gun violence in Westbury.
“The community of Westbury have dubbed their area a war zone. It is disheartening that there are some among us in our country who are subjected to all sorts of social ills, from extreme poverty, substance and drug abuse, and gender-based violence, to the trauma of constantly living in fear of gangs in their communities,” he said.
IOL