Hanover Park residents are demanding an urgent police intervention after gangsters went on a rampage for the second time in just two weeks, opening fire in the streets.
Residents say the man who allegedly killed Esa “Hadjie” Manuel, 23, last week was targeted.
They say despite warnings of an all-out war breaking out among members of the Ghetto Kids gang, authorities have failed to come up with a contingency plans to keep them safe.
Videos of the weekend’s chaos shows gangsters openly firing on each other in the streets in what sounds like a war zone.
A mom of four, who asked not to be named, says police knew to expect retaliation for the death of Manuel, who was shot dead in his car. His girlfriend and their child were also wounded in the shooting.
Manuel was the son of former alleged Ghetto Kids gang boss, Faizel “Sheikh” Manuel, who died from natural causes last year.
“Since Sheikh died there has been infighting in the Ghettos.
“After they shot Hadjie, the police knew that the ding was going to ruk but they did f*k*l,” says the mother.
“On Sunday the Ghettos came for blood and went to the house of Palelas in the backstreets. Hulle het hom uitgeroep toe wil hy nie uitkom nie. Hy is mos die een wat vir Hadjie geskiet het.”
The mom says as skollies surrounded the house, the alleged murderer fired shots wildly from inside, sending residents running for cover.
“We all had to lie flat and then the woman got involved and it was a whole family fight with klippe en alles. Eventually they shot Palelas but the boere were so bang to go in. The only time the shooting stopped was when AGU (the Anti-Gang Unit) came.”
Residents say two other men were also shot and injured inside the house.
But according to police spokesperson, Colonel Andre Traut, only one person was shot: “According to our crime reports, a 22-year-old man was shot and wounded at around 2pm in Rywood Walk, Hanover Park, by an unknown suspect who is yet to be arrested.”
Ebrahiem Abrahams of the Community Police Forum says despite desperate pleas for help, there has been no police intervention.
Concerned crime-fighters marched to Philippi Police Station on 4 April for answers.
The Daily Voice was present when station commander, Colonel Adriaan Saulse, said detectives have been working with the AGU to identify and build cases against the gunmen and promised that arrests were imminent.
Abrahams says that the majority of the shootings stemmed from infighting in the Ghetto Kids gang.
“And no arrests, no feedback and not even the provincial commissioner has come back to us. This is the problem in Hanover Park.
“The community suffers and the police just make promises.”
Traut did not respond to questions about what plans to quell the violence.