By Voice Reporter
POLICE have started to crack the whip on a new street gang in Valhalla Park known as the Rude Boys amid desperate pleas for help from residents.
According to a police statement, Bishop Lavis cops busted three men believed to be affiliated with the gang and recovered three firearms and ammunition.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC van Wyk says the three suspects, aged between 16 and 30, were busted on Monday morning as wakker cops patrolled to combat ongoing shootings.
Van Wyk reports: “On Monday at about 6.55am the officers were patrolling in the Valhalla Park hotspot areas to curb ongoing shootings in the area.
“They stopped and searched two suspicious looking males and retrieved a firearm with ammunition from one of them.
“Later the same members were patrolling in the same area when they heard gunshots went off and immediately ran towards the direction where the shots were coming from.
“The members found two suspects, one with a loaded firearm and ammunition and the other one in possession of an extended loaded magazine."
He explains as the officers made their way to the cop shop they noticed more suspects running in between the shacks of which one of the suspects dropped a firearm which they also recovered.
While residents welcomed the arrest, they told the Daily Voice a harrowing tale of power shifts in the area following the arrest of alleged gang boss, Ralph Stanfield.
A 47-year-old mom, who asked not to be named out of fear, says since Stanfield was locked up, residents live in fear of a hostile takeover by the Rude Boys.
She explains: “Not long after Ralph was arrested, we saw widespread shootings and smokkelling.
“Valhalla Park was the stronghold of the Firm Boys which was run by Ralph and now all of that has been taken over by the Rude Boys.
“They pitched up out of nowhere and just started taking over with a moerse klomp drugs and ammo like you have never seen.
“The shops are being extorted and we witness open shootings."
Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson were arrested in September 2023 amid an alleged hunt for a former employee accused of stealing R1 million from the notorious couple.
While they remain in custody as they face attempted murder charges of the employee, several henchmen and relatives of Stanfield have been killed over the last year.
Ironically, residents have revealed that the State witness in the case against them has been identified as one of the leaders of the Rude Boys.
The local says: “He has been spotted with the Rude Boys and we find it all so strange. After Ralph was arrested the community thought we could breathe a sigh of relief but now we are at the centre of a gang power struggle."
Outgoing CPF chairperson, Graham Lindhorst, confirms the claims of residents saying the new street gang started rising to power in July 2024.
"The problem is that a vacuum has been created in Valhalla Park. A vacuum the authorities should have anticipated and mitigated before it got to this stage. The CPF is aware and can confirm the fears of residents are valid."
