African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General, Ace Magashule, says the governing party remains concerned about gang violence in South Africa and has appealed to people in affected areas including Westbury in Johannesburg to work with authorities to end the scourge.
#Westbury The “police” are protecting the gangs because that’s where they get their second salaries from the gang bosses. The Sophiatown police station is a joke.
— Kylo (@KyloBeliver1) October 1, 2018
Magashule was addressing the media at Luthuli House in Johannesburg following the party’s NEC meeting at the weekend. This comes amid reports that a Westbury protester was wounded on Monday in confrontations with police.
A mother was recently killed and her child seriously wounded in crossfire between alleged gang members.
Westbury residents have since that incident been protesting in streets around the area where drugs, crime and gansterism is a major problem.
Magashule says the ANC is aware of the scourge of gangsterism in certain areas.
Situation remains tense
The situation remains tense in Westbury and surrounding areas following another day of community protests over crime and drugs.
Earlier a police Nyala was hit with a petrol bomb during a stand-off between residents and the police. This was after police had fired rubber bullets onto a crowd as they tried to move them off the main road and from damaging passing vehicles.
In the nearby Claremont, Newclare and Bosmont areas the situation is calm with the streets in and out of the areas blocked off to traffic with rocks.
Police are out in full force to maintain law and order.
Gauteng police spokesperson Kay Makhubele says “As you see we are pushing them back by using the rubber bullets. We cant allow them to block the roads and damage other people’s property. The visibility will be enforced int he area. Since yesterday we make sure the police are on the streets and monitoring the streets.”
#Westbury residents resumed their protest against gangsterism and drugs on Monday morning. What do you think should be done?
Watch: Stand-off between Westbury residents and police intensify https://t.co/XqEvtYWd6W #SABCNews
— SABC News Online (@SABCNewsOnline) October 1, 2018
