Durban - The South African National Defence Force has deployed the army to the Durban south township of Wentworth following a wave of violence that has gripped the community in recent days.
On Wednesday, photographs of army trucks driving into Lansdowne Road were shared on various social media platforms.
A source within the SANDF confirmed that soldiers were deployed to the area on Wednesday.
SANDF media liasion Lieutenant Colonel Connie Silwer said when soldiers are deployed to communities, it is to help with enforcing lockdown regulations.
Since Thursday last week, Wentworth residents have reported a number of shootings and stabbings in the area.
Last Thursday, Durban comedian Andrew Hughes and a friend were shot while parked in a vehicle in Lansdowne Road.
Both men are said to be recovering in hospital and a suspect has been arrested. According to police, the suspect has also been linked to other shootings in the area.
On Friday night, a 17-year-old was stabbed and died en route to hospital. Here too, police confirmed that a suspect was arrested.
According to the Daily News, a man and his girlfriend were injured when they were shot at in Jonas Road.
According to Wentworth Community Policing Forum chairperson Pastor Donovan Anderson, it looked like “Wentworth is on fire” because over the past week it had gone crazy with gun shootings.
“It’s out of control. I don’t know why it was mostly drive-by shootings, guys returning fire. Lansdowne Road and Hime Street were usually mentioned in Wentworth incidents. But Anderson said Tifflin Road was now joining the fray as violence had now picked up in that area," he said.
National SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo said that the army had been deployed across the country since the implementation of the lockdown and move to different areas based on patterns and threats.
IOL