BOKSBURG – A mass shooting in Reiger Park on Friday night has left the community reeling after two police officers and two civilians were killed.
The officers were members of the SAPS anti-gang unit.
One resident said the deceased did not deserve to die that way.
“We have officials that lost their lives. I'm so emotional. I even want to cry. Because the girls that died and the men in blue that died tonight. They didn't deserve to die like that. And I really want to make a call on the mothers and the fathers of Reiger Park. If you know that your child is busy with wrongdoings, please stop protecting them,” the resident said.
Ward Councillor Edith Klaasen said every time they hear gunshots at night they are scared because they know a family would have lost a loved one.
“After the shooting I was here as a mother, knowing it could have been my daughter. As a ward councillor it hits hard. It really hits hard because when is it going to stop.
“We’ve been crying out for help for such a long time. I am very hurt. This cannot be normal,” she said.
The Gauteng government is outraged by the shooting and Premier Panyaza Lesufi said the brazen attack is a declaration of war.
“What they have to do is to track down the perpetrators, wherever they are. My argument is very simple. You attack policemen, you are taking the state.
“What has just happened here is nothing else but the declaration of war. And we have to respond. There's no way the policemen can fold their arms when one of their own are being attacked,” said Lesufi.
Gauteng Police Commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni said they would not rest until those responsible were found.
“Currently we have lost the young constables of which is very sad for the South African Police Service. We have currently deployed maximum resources within this area and it will continue so that we can be in a position to stabilize but we are not going to rest up until we get those people who are responsible for what happened,” Mthombeni said.
Paramedic Kevin Koopman said more police visibility is needed in Reiger Park. Shootings are a common occurrence in the East Rand township.
Koopman, who responded to the Friday night shooting, said there had been another shooting there on Thursday night.
“The violence is increasing by the day. So we need resources and everything. SAPS is really working in our community. I'm going to give them the credit. The credit is due. They are working very, very hard.
“They are on the ground. They are doing what it's supposed to do. But we are sitting with the community that doesn't want to talk. They don't want to talk when these things are happening. That's why we're having this increase of violence in this community.