Cape Town - Concerned community members complain they are left traumatised every weekend as people shoot a 21-gun salute at gangsters funerals.
Residents who are affected are not only those at the cemeteries but those who live near graveyards.
A resident, Amanda Kwebulana said: “Every weekend we expect to hear gunshots because it’s become a norm in this area.
“When I moved here, I would freeze but now I am used to it, that doesn’t mean I want to, but it’s because no one is doing anything about it. We need law enforcement to intervene.”
Nyanga Community police forum secretary Dumisani Qwebe said this issue has become popular.
“We can’t get used to that, this affects all of us especially the elderly people, they are left traumatised.
“The problem is that more than 10 people fire guns at once. Community members usually ask us for police visibility when they know a gangster will be buried. The fear is, that bullet could ricochet and kill or injure someone. A few years ago a man was killed by a bullet at a funeral. We encourage people to tell us when there is going to be a burial of a gangster.”
Elsies River Community Police Forum spokesperson Imraahn Mukaddam said he has not personally witnessed this but he only heard about this practice.
“It indicates that even in death these armed militias establish their authority, and instil fear. We have a sovereign state that allows a parallel state to operate as de facto militias.
“The danger in this is obvious of no consequence to these non-state actors. They continue to get away with impunity. Funerals are a difficult arena to enforce because of the potential for even more conflict and tragedy, but enough intelligence can be gathered to establish the chain of command in the gang hierarchies.”
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said they never received any complaints about this issue.
“Complaints hardly come from residents. During funerals in some communities there is a practice of discharging firearms, that is illegal and the persons doing so are committing a criminal offence that should cause their firearms to be taken from them and for them to be arrested.
“There is a national Firearms Control Act, you may not discharge a firearm in the city boundaries, in a residential or urban environment only in self-defence within the confines of what the act provides so discharging a firearm in the streets, is completely illegal, it’s a dangerous and stupid act, so we must treat it as such. Those bullets have to land somewhere, you’re endangering the lives of people around you.
“Sadly, we very rarely get complaints from the community about that. It’s part of why I think Shotspotter is important because if it were not for the device we would never know when that is happening in Nyanga and Gugulethu. It’s only the gunfire detection that tells us such a thing that is happening. It is a very problematic practice that has arisen and I am keen to see some convictions of some of the people responsible for that.”
Smith invited communities report such incidents.
“When they see it, call anonymously and alert us so we can hold people accountable, they are gambling with the lives of your children, you don’t know where those bullets are going to land when they are discharged.”