Youth gang members hand in weapons
FEARING for their lives after the brutal killing of two gang leaders in Imizamo Yethu, members of youth gangs in the informal settlement have handed in their weapons.
The group of about 40 have vowed to stop committing crime and are now keen to get involved in skills development programmes.
Various community organisations, including the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) met with the gangsters on Saturday.
The Xaba and Bad Boys Crew gangs have been blamed for a spate of crime in Hout Bay, including recent murders of Nchikala Ngoy, 27, Monezi Menziwa, 17, Zuko Roji, 21, and Kwekwe Ngetu, 17.
Sanco chairperson for Hout Bay Samqelo Krweqe said “men not boys” had come together in the area last week after a mob of young men armed with knives and pangas marched through the streets, causing chaos on Monday night.
Krweqe said he joined close to 1 000 men on a march – with police in tow – through the area every night last week to confront the gangsters in a move to take back the streets.
“Our community is basically sick and tired of them and so all the real men have come together to take action.”
On Thursday night, after the men marched through the area, the leaders of two rival gangs were stoned to death, allegedly by vigilantes.
CPF chairperson JJ De Villiers said: “The two men murdered in Imizamo Yethu, one during the evening of Thursday, August 13 and the other in the early hours of Friday, have been confirmed to be the heads of two rival gangs.
“They have been linked to a number of house robberies, armed robberies and various criminal activities.”
After the meeting on Saturday, the CPF made an appeal to all relevant organisations for help.
“This a great step toward helping our youth become the men they should be and an huge stride towards crime reduction in Hout Bay. Well done to these brave young men for taking the steps towards change. Let’s stand up as a community and support them,” De Villiers said.
Krweqe said he was aware that the men in the community were being blamed for the two killings last week.
“Some people are blaming us, but we are doing things within the framework of the law. We had gone to bed already when we heard that those guys had been killed.
“They were gang leaders, so they might have died at the hands of their rivals,” he said.
Asked what they had done to prevent the killings last week, police failed to respond yesterday.
Police spokesperson André Traut could only confirm one killing, saying the Cape Times’ query had been referred to Hout Bay police for clarity.