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Terrorised Cape Flats residents sleep on the floor to dodge bullets

Some Cape Town residents have taken to sleeping on the floor‚ fearing an escalation of gang warfare.

A spate of suspected gang violence has erupted over the past few weeks‚ which includes the shooting of an apparent underworld kingpin.

On Monday Jerome “Donkie’’ Booysen was shot in Ravensmead on the Cape Flats. He is linked to the Sexy Boys gang‚ which is believed to have its stronghold in Belhar.

Kenneth Visser‚ chairman of the Belhar Community Police Forum‚ said communities are on high alert.

“Yes‚ it is true that the people and the community are really scared about this retaliation that can happen anytime from now on and it is a bit scary for the community. It can be war‚” Visser told TimesLIVE.

According to a WhatsApp group circulating in Cape Town’s northern suburbs: “Huge gang war ahead. Tell your friends in Belhar‚ Bellville to be safe. Already lots of shooting in Belhar.’’

This week Booysen was shot in the neck. In the same incident in Ravensmead – a stone’s throw from Belhar – three other men were injured and another killed.

Visser said there were always gang shootings at the City of Cape Town-owned Chestnut Place flats in Syringa Crescent. He said the city should deploy its metro cops there.

“We don’t see [officers] and that is our concern ...they talk about the rent-a-cop thing but that is not enough for the Belhar community‚” he added.

Last week Elsies River was the scene of a mass shooting‚ which claimed the lives of four people and left 10 others wounded on a single day.

Elsies River CPF chairperson Imraahn Mukkadam said that they were trying to “mitigate” the fallout and expected reprisals.

“The other incidents have an effect on our area because after the shooting or killing of some of these high flyers‚ or kingpins‚ or drug lords or whatever you call them‚ there is always a flare-up of gang violence in our community‚ so we’re trying to mitigate that as far as possible‚” he said.

Mukkadam said “sophisticated” weapons are being used in shootings on the Cape Flats and that the shootings are “a direct assault on our communities”.

“The mass shooting last Monday … that is an act of terrorism‚ that is not just a gang-related incident‚” he said.

“It was in fact deliberately done to instil fear in the communities and to instil fear in the rival armed militia‚” said Mukkadam.

“We have a situation right now on the Cape Flats that resembles Bolivia and Brazil. We’re sitting with a very serious situation of very powerful militia leaders unleashing their territorial warfare on our communities.”

“It’s always been referred to as gang-related and we are not satisfied with the classification ‘gang-related’ anymore. It must been seen for what it is; a direct assault on our communities‚” said Mukkadam.

In 2012‚ The Times reported about underworld figure Cyril Beeka‚ who was gunned down in Cape Town.

Dobrosav Gavric‚ the Serb fugitive who was in the luxury vehicle with Beeka‚ was arrested.

Serbian authorities had issued an extradition warrant for him to serve jail time for three murders.

During Gavric’s court hearing in 2012‚ Captain Paul Hendrikse testified that Gavric was linked to Booysen‚ who is alleged to be the leader of the notorious Sexy Boys gang.

He also testified that Booysen was suspected of having played a part in Beeka’s murder.

In addition‚ Hendrikse told the court that Beeka was linked to Czech criminal fugitive Radovan Krejcir.

On Wednesday police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk was asked about the investigation into Booysen’s shooting.

He confirmed‚ again‚ that a 52-year-old man had been shot and that circumstances surrounding the incident are still being investigated‚ but he did not name Booysen.

“An attempted murder case was opened‚” said Van Wyk.

 

 

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