JOHANNESBURG - Army or no army?
That is the question Eldorado Park residents are asking.
Hope quickly turned into frustration after members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) who briefly appeared in the area failed to return on Thursday morning.
READ | 'We are not safe': Mother urges SANDF to return to crime-hit Eldorado Park
Over 500 SANDF troops are expected to be deployed to communities riddled with gang violence and illegal mining in the coming weeks.
Eldorado Park ward councillor Juwairiya Kaldine said they were ecstatic that finally law and order would happen in Eldorado Park. But that joy was short lived.
The scars of gang violence run deep there. A teenager in the area survived a shooting just two months ago.
His mother claimed police took a statement and gave her the bullet.
She has pleaded for the return of the soldiers to ensure their safety as they have lost hope in SAPS.
But community safety groups warn the army alone will not fix the problem.
For residents, the uncertainty is deeply frustrating. They said their trust in their local police station was already broken.
And until soldiers return to these streets, many fear the gunfire will continue.