Johannesburg - Police Minister Bheki Cele has announced that he will be dispatching a new team of detectives who will be investigating a series of cases that have not been resolved due to allegations that the Sophiatown police were shielding some of the perpetrators of gang-related violence, which has claimed the lives of young people in Westbury.
Cele was speaking during a ministerial crime prevention imbizo in the area yesterday following a new wave of gang violence that has claimed two lives and resulted in the shooting of at least 11 other people, including boys as young as 18 years old, in a space of two weeks.
The new spate of shooting is reported to be a retaliation following the killing of Keenan Sheldon Ebrahim, alleged to be the leader of the Fast Guns, who was killed in Florida, west of Johannesburg, over two weeks ago.
A concerned member of the community said the area is filled with more than a dozen mothers who have lost their sons due to gang violence.
“There are more than nine mothers who have lost their children due to gun violence. These are the mothers who have lost their children after they were shot dead, and I urge them to stand up so that the minister can see the pain and suffering of these mothers... You have done nothing since 2018 and yet our brothers continue to die and our children cannot play soccer anymore,” the community member said.
Claudine Louw said her life is in danger, and she continues to live in fear because she knows some of the people behind violent crimes in the area.
“As we are speaking here now, my head is marked because these people want me dead, and we are still waiting for three case numbers after my brother was killed while people without gun licenses continue to roam the street freely,” she said.
“I have made a declaration and an order that will see a new team of detectives sent to work on outstanding cases that have not been resolved. We cannot have 19 mothers losing their sons due to gun violence, and only five people are arrested. We will sanitise this place, and we will send a team of detectives who will help us sanitise and sweep it clean. Women and young people must feel safe. They must not be told that they are safe, but they must feel safe,” Cele said.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi assured the community, saying the time for talking was long gone and it was now time for action.
“The manner in which we fight crime and plan our strategies has limitations and gaps. Of all the issues raised, the time for talking is now over. We should not add on top of promises and explain our plans that could be heard by criminals. We, as the Gauteng government, have identified crime as our enemy number one, and we will spare no resources to ensure that we rid ourselves of crime,“ he said.
Cele added that a group of 69 specialised officers from the Anti-Gang Unit, Tactical Response Team, and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department was selected to stabilise Westbury for a duration of three months.
The Star