Ongoing gang violence in Elsies River is now also affecting learners at school, according to local police.
Police spokesperson WO Esmarelda Pheifer said there had been many shootings in the area over the last few weeks. “Parents fear for their children’s lives and are scared to send them to school. The police are doing all they can to tackle the issue.”
Community organisations in Elsies River were also worried violent crime was on the rise again in the area.
Since Friday 14 February more than six people had been killed in gun or gang violence. Hamish Arries of the Elsies River Safety Initiative expressed alarm at the lack of proactive policing by police and Law Enforcement, saying that despite promised reinforcements police visibility was absent during shootings.
Imraahn Mukaddam, CEO of Inspire Network, said Elsies River experienced a bloody weekend and week. “I must emphasise the need for volatile areas to be cordoned off and searched to remove guns and bullets from the streets. The lived experience of residents is like a war zone, unsafe for children to travel to and from school. “The femicide of a prominent community leader’s daughter in Epping Forrest adds to the distress experienced in our community. Gender-based violence remains as heinous a crime as the gangsterism that is decimating our youth.”
Report incidents
He urged the community to report shooting incidents to the police.
Arries believed the current low-intensity civil war on the Cape Flats should be declared a disaster and a State of Emergency should be declared in highly violent areas so police can have extraordinary powers and resources to quell the endemic carnage and bloodshed. “My condolences go out to the families of the victims of the recent incidents.”
A man was killed allegedly after filming a shooting through a window. Days after the footage went viral he was shot dead at home. Pheifer couldn’t confirm whether it was due to the video.
