The South African Police Service top brass have outlined interventions that will be in place to address gang-related violence in several communities including Westbury, Eldorado Park, Newclare, Claremont, Riverlea and Noordgesig.
This comes after angry community members of Westbury in Johanneburg marched to the local Sophiatown Police Station earlier in the day to demand answers from the police, feeling that they are not doing enough to curb crime in the area following the killing of a local businessman, Ashwin McCabe on Monday.
The bullet hole in the garage was among the hail of bullets that shot and killed Ashwin Mccabe after closing his shop on Monday. The bloodstains on the ground show where the late Mccabe fell and met his untimely death.
Shocked and scared by this tragic incident of losing one of their own, community members gathered at the Westbury Sports Ground to try to find solutions to the crime engulfing their area. They proposed that the intelligence team and the army need to be dispatched to the area.
“We cannot fold our arms and do nothing whilst this is happening in our area. All of us needs to do something. This is bad and law enforcement authorities needs to take part,” says Bishop Dalton Adams, Community leader.
Ashwin’s weeping mother mentioned that her son was a very obedient and disciplined person who did not deserve to die in such a manner.
“Ashwin was my only son; he was very obedient and law abiding. I want to tell all the coloured boys, young men, to stop what they are doing. You took my only son, my only son. Oh no, I don’t want to cry,” says Donnie Lesley Mccabe, Ashwin’s mother.
Demanding answers, the community members marched to the Sophiatown Police Station, leading to havoc inside the station.
Furious and dissatisfied with the service of the police, they handed over their list of grievances to the acting station commander, Colonel Andile Moshadi.
“A lot has happened here, people are killed, and nothing happens. We have demands and amongst them is that the army and the intelligence team needs to be dispatched here. We want to know about the progress of the case now, otherwise we are not going anywhere,” Adams added.
Later in the day, the SAPS Deputy National Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili together Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni visited the area.
The Deputy National Commissiner, Moskili has given the investigating team into the murder of McCabe 72-hour to make a breakthrough in the case.
Video: SAPS addressing gang-related violence, crime
