Gang violence tears Westbury family apart
Residents say police in the area are failing them
“Who do you belong to? Are you part of the Fast Guns or Varados?”
Delores Mackay stands outside her home at the Waterval flats in Westbury, Johannesburg. Her flat is opposite the Sophiatown police station.
For Mackay this has been home for over 30 years. However, a tragic incident on May 4 2017 left the family shattered.
This is the day her son Richard was shot and killed in alleged gang violence, a few metres from their flat.
“I was sleeping because I was getting cold. Community members came knocking at my door and told me that my son was shot,” Mackay said.
She said when she ran out, Richard was still alive. Mackay said police failed to respond to the matter with urgency, despite being across the road.
“When the police and paramedics finally arrived, my son was dead.”
She described Richard, who would have turned 35 years old this year, as a wellmannered and respectful young man.
She said Richard was a rising soccer star who loved his family and three young daughters. He played as a goalkeeper for local teams.
A drug turf war has forced Westbury residents onto the streets. In almost a week-long protest, community members have barricaded several roads with rocks and burning tyres.
The protests turned bloody when scores of locals were shot and wounded by police with rubber bullets. A police nyala was also almost petrol bombed.
The streets in Westbury are littered with rocks, rubble, rubbish and empty rubber bullet and teargas cases.
Police seem to have fuelled the frustration of residents, with some calling for the army to step in and “clean up” the drugridden area.
The drug dealers have been identified as “Finch” and “Keanan” who, according to the community, are powerful and feared men.
According to others, a pastor who tried to testify against drug dealers was killed.
“What is happening with our police force? Where is safety and security in our community? Where are our rights? Where is our protection?” Rafiek Jardine asked.
Resident Caswell Snyders said gangsterism was “real” within Westbury schools. “Go to our primary schools and ask the kids there how they greet each other. They ask each other: ‘What is your chisa? Are you a Fast Gun or a Varado?’”