When Farzana Chothia, who lives in Albertville, went to clean up some unexpected dirt off her bedroom floor, the last thing she expected to find was a bullet.
She looked around and saw the hole in her ceiling the bullet had made.
The bullet is assumed to have come from Westpark Cemetery on Saturday, August 12, where gangsters are regularly buried.
SCP Security’s Clive Maher says, “The shootings have started again at the cemetery when funerals are taking place.
“It quietened down for a while after Carte Blanche did a segment on the shootings and the police and JMPD were involved, even to the point of plain-clothed members keeping an eye out. But that has died down with generally only JMPD now at the entrance doing crowd control but not much more.”
He recalled two incidents in the last few years in Montgomery Park. “One bullet landed next to a 90-year-old man who was resting. Another in Westdene resulted in a bullet hitting the leg of an elderly lady at an old age home. She was walking to her unit when an R5 bullet struck her.”
Chothia described her terror when she realised what she had found. “To think a bullet can end up in a bedroom is frightening. What if someone had been hit had the path of the bullet been slightly different? It is really, really scary.”
Vijay Mopani, who lives close to Chothia, said in 2015, a bullet also assumed to come from the cemetery entered his daughter’s bedroom. “It is so dangerous as the shooters cannot predict where the bullets will land, and one day someone may lose their life due to this dangerous behaviour. It is unacceptable and pressure needs to be put onto JMPD and law enforcement officials to stop it before the unthinkable happens.”
Maher said, “We cannot have random people shooting in the air. People don’t seem to understand that what goes up must come down. A bullet coming back to the ground does so at the same velocity, and one day I fear a life will be lost.
“Are the police going to address this issue or are they waiting for someone to be killed?”
Spokesperson for JMPD Xolani Fihla said, “Officers are deployed for traffic management and to maintain order at Westpark Cemetery. Following the shooting in the air during funeral services at the cemetery we have remained on high alert especially if a high-profile person or known gang member is being buried. When that happens, manpower is augmented with officers from other units together with SAPS members to ensure that law and order are maintained. This is also done by having units stationed inside the cemetery.
“If and when gunshots are fired, the perpetrators will be identified and arrested. They will be charged for discharging firearms in a public area.”
He would not be drawn on the sounds of gunshots from the cemetery reported by community members in WhatsApp groups on the day Chothia found the bullet in her bedroom.
Jenny Moodley, spokesperson for Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo said, “We strongly condemn the lawless shootings that have taken place at Westpark Cemetery in recent weeks. City Parks is working closely with JMPD to identify, monitor, and arrest those responsible for these shootings.”
She says funeralgoers must been reminded that a zero-tolerance stance will be taken against the illegal discharge of firearms in cemeteries. Anyone caught shooting at a funeral will be arrested and their vehicle will be searched.
“We appeal to families and funeral directors to ensure that the final farewell of a loved one is not marred by arrests.”
Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker says, “This is very worrying. I am trying to find out from JMPD what happened and why weren’t searches done or investigations conducted to see where the shooting came from. We need to find a way forward with all stakeholders. I will continue to look into this matter; it is very concerning indeed.”
Residents who live near Westpark Cemetery and hear gunshots are advised to immediately report them to the JMPD or SAPS.
The following contact details can be used:
- CrimeStop: 08600 10111
- JMPD: 011 375 5911
- Sophiatown Police Station 011 670 6300
- WhatsApp message to alert cemetery staff 082 803 0655.
The Northcliff Melville Times visited the cemetery a few months back to witness the high number of funerals that take place there over the weekends. JMPD at one point seemed to lose control of mourners who were frustrated at being managed by officials due to their reckless behaviour. JMPD had to temporarily close the cemetery gates until order had been restored.
Related article:
JMPD needed at Westpark cemetery en-masse to prevent potentially dangerous behaviour for mourners
