‘I can’t walk alone’: Residents detail daily fear of living in gang-ridden Westbury

It's a hot morning in Westbury extension three. A few residents are walking to and from the local spaza shops or tinkering with their cars. Very few idle or stop to chat or catch up with neighbours.

Few police cars are seen patrolling this side of town — only two drive past at one point. 

In the bustling neighbouring community of Newclare, five police vans are seen ambling past in various spots in the space of an hour.

Activist and religious leader pastor Jefferson Johnson explains the western Johannesburg area is usually abuzz at this time, with people busy with their daily lives, but since the latest shootings, it's been quieter than normal as fear lingers among residents.

“At this current moment, it's very tense still. There's still a lot of fear so you're not too sure what can happen at any minute. Our streets, from about 5-6pm, [get] absolutely quiet.

“Even right now, if we can drive around the area then you can see it's so quiet. People are really afraid,” he told TimesLIVE.

He painted a grim picture of daily life in the gang-ridden area, explaining that the sight of gun-toting boys was a norm. He said poverty and rampant unemployment were to blame, as young children were drawn to the flashy lifestyle associated with gangsterism.

Schools are not left unscathed, with Johnson labelling them “breeding grounds” for gangsters. Not even introducing patrollers inside the school helped because once the children leave the school premises, they are vulnerable.

He explained that gangs have always been a part of the community, only changing names and getting more brazen over the years.

“I'm not saying it's right, but the gangs of those years had so much respect. Today there's no respect, you have kids swearing at parents in the streets. Some boys would threaten [to shoot] their parents.

“Every argument you have in the streets, they [gangsters] tell you 'me I'm not going to hit you, I'm going to shoot you', that's how we've resorted to the worst with regards to gangsterism.”

Johnson described the area from Florida Street to Fuel Road as a “consistent” hotspot for violence.

He confirmed police visibility in the area and, while lauding police for being more present, said it made little difference because people remained fearful because the shootings still happened.

He spoke in the wake of the shooting incidents that followed the death of alleged gang leader Keenan Ebrahim, who was shot dead in an apparent hit a week ago while driving in Constantia Kloof.

The 38-year-old was alleged to have been the leader of the Fast Guns gang.

In the days that followed, the area was described as “volatile” and a “no-go zone”, with entities such as City Power briefly withdrawing services. 

The residents who spoke to TimesLIVE however said the recent unrest and tension was not directly linked to Ebrahim's killing. They pointed to several incidents that happened before his death and have become part of everyday life.

At the weekend, there was an attack on a police reservist at Langlaagte, whose house was shot at. Two people were killed and 11 others attacked — one of them 32-year-old Chrisando Otto.

Residents explain what happened.

“We were sitting against the wall and there were kiddies that ran down the street for food [from a nearby feeding scheme]. Then a [masked] guy shot [at the reservist] and then everybody came out,” said one resident. 

Amid the chaos, another alleged shooter showed up and fired randomly at residents, fatally wounding Otto and injuring another resident.

In a video shared with TimesLIVE, a man can be seen lying on the ground bleeding while the police seemingly try to defuse a tense situation.

Only towards the end of the clip, can residents be seen tending to the injured man, who reportedly survived.

For Westbury residents, this incident is part of daily life in the troubled neighbourhood, marked by terror, threats and plenty deaths.

They claim the threats are associated with two prominent gangs, the Varados and Fast Guns. The situation is so dire, they can't go to certain shops and leaving home is high-risk.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, talked about the threats she and her family faced for standing up to local gang leaders, detailing how a gun was held to her 12-year-old son's head.

“He hasn't been to school since and has missed the term exams,” she explained.

“He's got so much anger over what's happening here, it's making him mad.”

Despite this, she remains defiant and has vowed to continue speaking out, even after being told “you're next”.

Two other residents spoke of the terror their families were subjected to for years as a result of their stance against gangsters.

Both lost family members to gang violence, most recently outside a Shoprite store on Ondekkers Road last month.

Shandre Fredericks' mother Zaida was gunned down as she went to the store on February 16. She was apparently warned she'd be shot because of her vocal stance.

Police ruled out an armed robbery and said it was linked to the ongoing violence in the area.

Fredericks told TimesLIVE she feared for her life and for her brothers' lives since her mother's death. She says her brothers never leave the house because it's not safe to do so and she has to be careful. 

“Now I must watch my back, I can't walk alone. It's not normal to have people watching me the whole time,” she said.

Like so many others, leaving isn't an option for Fredericks, because she says she cannot afford to relocate.

Johnson said the community needed a strong civic leader who hasn't drawn his wealth from drug dealing but from honest means.

“That is what we need, somebody that's very influential in our community because currently the only motivation that our people have is drug lords ... so our kids' minds are set on that kind of [mentality],” he said.

He added how children were raised was important because the values they are taught at home spill over to their outside lives.

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