Bodies pile up as shootings rise in Westbury and Riverlea area

Random shootings daily, alleged reluctance from police to do their jobs and funerals weekly, with residents fearing the next one might be theirs or that of a loved one.

This is how residents and leaders of Westbury, Eldorado Park and Riverlea characterise their daily lives amid a spate of killings in the three neighbourhoods.

Reports emerged in the past week of several shootings in all three suburbs. These have led to seven deaths in just four days.

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the deaths of three people in Riverlea on Friday after a shooting in Tarka street. Two others were left injured.

“No-one has been arrested and the motive for the shooting is unknown. Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder,” she said.

Video footage emerged over the weekend showing the shooting,  which happened in front of a primary school.

In the video, a crowd is seen congregated around the men lying on the ground bleeding.

A day later, the bodies of two young men aged 20 and 22 were found in Eldorado Park Extension 4 with gunshot wounds, according to police.

While details on the exact cause of the shootings are yet to emerge and people are fearful of speaking on the matter, there are suspicions they are linked to gangsterism and drug-related activity affecting the troubled areas.

Community leaders TimesLIVE Premium spoke to expressed concern about the effect these shootings had on residents. 

In Westbury, a prominent leader who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, confirmed Monday's shooting alongside a slew of others in the past few weeks.

“For the past three weeks, there have been a lot of shootings. In our area alone, we buried I think two people who were shot last Saturday and then during the week, there was a 62-year-old who was shot on Thursday and died. On Friday night, there was a young man [who] was shot [along with] his cousins and one died.

“On Sunday, during a church service there was also someone who was shot [and] he died on Monday. In the evening [Monday], the two young men were shot. This morning [Wednesday], there was a father and son that were shot but they're both still alive,” he said.

So dire is the situation, he said, that even law enforcement and community leaders have become targets of the shooters. He confirmed that all but Monday's incident had links to gang violence in the area and that the specialised units deployed to the area last year after intervention by police minister Bheki Cele had been withdrawn.

For the past three weeks, there have been a lot of shootings. In our area alone, we buried I think two people who were shot last Saturday and then during the week, there was a 62-year-old who was shot on Thursday and died

—  Westbury community leader

Cele early last year announced the deployment of the tactical response team and national intervention unit, among other units, to help bring the violence under control in Westbury. 

Just months later, former Gauteng top cop Lt-Gen Elias Mawela announced the mobilisation of extra resources, including an anti-gang unit, to nearby Coronationville and Eldorado Park after a spate of killings there.

“It was never safe, even when the police were here ... because they became the gangsters too. Every single one of us, if you were on the street, they would stop and beat you up before they ask [you something] or do a search,” he said.

In Riverlea, a clergyman and community leader said the recent shootings had left the community “captive” to gangsterism and drug-related activity.

“Here there are random killings taking place largely based on association. So if you are a gang member and I associate with you, then I become a target as well.

“There are many innocent people being killed and we're attending funerals and burying people week in and week out and it's all senseless,” he said.

While the man, who too didn't want to be named for fear of being targeted, was reluctant to comment on Friday's shooting, he spoke at length about the fear that has gripped Riverlea, which is also battling the scourge of illegal miners. 

Making things worse, he said, is the police's “reluctance” to intervene and help curb the criminality.

“You'll find that the community is living in fear because when these shootings are taking place, [it's usually] inexperienced children with guns in their hands shooting. There are so many wild shootings that there are stray bullets flying in every direction.

“When it becomes dark, everyone is in their homes. Places that would've been buzzing under normal circumstances are quiet. And you'll find that it's trying to engulf all of these areas: Westbury, Newclare, Riverlea, Eldorado Park and Noordgesig [among others]. We are hoping it's not going to go further to Davidsonville, Randfontein and on the east side to Boksburg, because all those places are interlinked. [People have] family members in those places.”

The community leader also spoke on the situation in Westbury, saying the community was the “worst-hit” as there were often “two or three shootings in one day” based on the alerts they received.

In Eldorado Park, community activist Cheryl Pillay said Saturday's shootings were part of a spate of incidents that had unfolded in recent months. 

“We've had a couple of shootings going on, especially in the past month but it actually picked up a lot in the past two weeks.”

She said it was difficult to pinpoint the cause of the latest killing frenzy, given the myriad challenges affecting Eldorado Park. 

“One can't even say [what the cause is] because there's a lot of stories in the community. Some will say it's gang-related or gun-related, we're not really certain at this point,” she said.

She said the situation had calmed down since 2022 when fed-up residents had staged a sit-in at the local police station lasting more than 30 days to demand increased police visibility in the area, but had “suddenly reared up again”.

Describing the impact the latest shootings have had on the community, Pillay said: “It's scary because there's young people in our streets. Sometimes these things happen in broad daylight and sometimes at night and we're a heavily-populated community”.

TimesLIVE Premium reached out to police for comment on the community's allegations and the situation in these areas since Cele's intervention. No responses had been received by the time the article was published.