More than 20 people have been killed in Angelo since the beginning of this year. Based on police reports, at least two people are brutally killed in Angelo monthly.
The most recent killings occurred over the weekend. A man, identified as a Lesotho national, died after he was shot five times in the upper body.
Boksburg SAPS spokesperson Sgt Cebisa Maseko confirmed the murder, saying the man’s body was found on the morning of November 18 and it’s believed that he was killed sometime between Friday night and the early hours of Saturday.
Maseko said a second killing occurred on Saturday night when a man died after he was shot in the head and chest in Angelo Mission. He was attacked at a tavern known as Magida Tavern.
- Under siege
Residents, as well as their community leaders, have repeatedly told the Advertiser that it seems as if there’s no easy solution to this problem, saying they have been, for the past years, trying their hardest to get authorities to address crime, but their efforts have been fruitless.
One of the community leaders who has been very vocal about the status quo in the informal settlement and who agreed to talk to the Advertiser on condition of anonymity said residents are under siege by criminals and some of them have become targets just for speaking out.
“This place is not that big and I, therefore, don’t understand why it’s difficult to root out the troublemakers.
“If it’s difficult for the police to solve the problem, then why aren’t they asking other police stations or Amabharet (the SAPS specialised Tactical Response Team) to assist them?
“People are being robbed, killed and sexually assaulted almost every weekend here and everyone is scared to speak out because the word on the ground is that whenever you share information with the police, someone informs the criminals that you’ve done this.
“Now we don’t trust the police. We don’t even trust each other as community members because we believe that there are those among us who are colluding with criminals.
“For the police to solve this problem, they have to come back to the community and rebuild trust, put informants in place and bring in Amabharet to prevent these types of killings from occurring again,” he said.
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- Series of murders
These killings happened barely ten days after four people were killed in separate incidents in Boksburg.
The first person, 31-year-old Blayton Alberts, was shot dead in Stanbury Crescent, Reiger Park at about 8pm on November 10.
The second killing occurred on November 11 in Joe Slovo informal settlement where a 34-year-old man, identified as Dyani Skhumbuzo, was shot twice in the head in his shack.
The suspect in the killing of Dyani has been arrested and is expected to make his second court appearance tomorrow (November 22).
The third killing happened outside Good-Luck tavern in Main Reef Road, Lilianton, opposite Angelo informal settlement, during the early hours of November 12.
A man who was working as a security guard at the tavern died after he was shot multiple times by a gunman who then fled the scene. Using almost the same modus operandi, a gunman fatally shot another man outside the tavern the previous weekend.
The fourth killing also took place in Angelo informal settlement, where a man, aged 39 died after he was stabbed 16 times during what appears to be a robbery on November 11.
- Crime prevention
Maseko told the Advertiser that the Boksburg police are very concerned about the ongoing killings in the informal settlement, including Angelo and Jerusalem.
“We have intensified our patrols in these areas and have other crime prevention strategies that will be carried out in all crime hot spots in Boksburg, especially now that we are approaching the festive season, which is the time crime normally peaks,” said Maseko.
About rebuilding the trust between residents and the police, Maseko said they are planning to go to the affected communities and have talks on crime.
“I understand that many people are now scared to share information because they fear victimisation.
“I, however, discourage people from keeping quiet about criminal activities in their communities because the police rely on the public to solve crime.”
People can report suspicious people or activities to the Boksburg police management by contacting Capt Gladys Rapholo, on 082 774 7165.
