Residents in Gugulethu are ready to donner a gang of skollies who have been smashing in their windows.
The angry mense say on Wednesday a “small army” of young thugs went around the neighbourhood in KTC and smashed the windows of numerous houses and cars to “announce their return” from prison.
Residents say ever since a large number of the Vuras and the Vatos gangs were arrested earlier this year, there had been peace in the area, until Wednesday.
Houses in at least five streets have been targeted, with windows of both homes and cars smashed in with rocks and pipes.
People say they can’t afford to fix the damaged windows but are also too afraid to, in case the gang returns.
Many people have instead boarded up their window frames.
Thembela Kethelo, 50, says she was asleep when she heard a loud noise from outside.
“This was at around 1am and when I went to look out, I heard people shouting ‘we are back — shoot them, shoot them’,” she explains.
“I retreated from the window and seconds later I heard a loud bang only to discover a brick in my living room. I have a child who sleeps on the floor and it luckily missed him.
“And while I was checking on him, the second window was also broken.”
Thembela says in her street, Cubungu Road, the windows of 20 homes and four cars were damaged.
Chairperson of the South African National Civic Organisation SANCO, Matthews Lackey, confirms the suspects belong to the Vuras and Vatos, adding they are worried angry residents would take the law into their own hands.
“We encourage residents to involve the police in this matter,” he says.
“Our communities are overrun by gangsterism and something needs to be done to address this issue.”
“The issue is that there are no recreational platforms for our children, we don’t even have rehabilitation centres for them, other than prison.
“We need to engage with the authorities and government so we can deal with this issue before residents get fed up and decide to take matters into their own hands.”
Police were unable to comment on the incidents at the time of going to press last night.