Gang violence grips Johannesburg South: Communities mourn amid rising killings

There have been several shootings and killings in the South, especially in South Hills, Moffat View, Chrisville and Bellavista.

Young and old have been victims of these killings, and the community has expressed concerns about their safety.

Brigadier Brenda Muridili commented on this matter regarding the counts of murder. She said as per the SAPS crime statistics that have been released for Moffat View Police Station (www.saps.gov.za):

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“Quarter 3 October to December 2024 – 18 counts of murder were reported. In comparison with the same period the previous year (October – December 2023 had 13 counts of murder), there was, therefore, an increase of five counts of murder. Unfortunately, quarter 4 (January – March 2025) crime statistics have not yet been released. Thus, we cannot mention the number of murders, but we can confirm that the police station recorded a decrease in reported cases of murder.

“Unfortunately, we cannot give a breakdown per suburb as that needs a deeper analysis of all murder dockets, but I can say that seven of the 18 murders were committed in South Hills. We can confirm that the police have arrested nine suspects for murder during the period October 2024 to March 2025; their cases are ongoing before the court.”

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Johannesburg South under siege

Sergio Isa Dos Santos MPL confirmed that Johannesburg south is under siege as gang violence prevails. “Since 2024, Johannesburg south has seen a distressing rise in gang violence, with around 74 murders and 10 attempted murders, many related to gang wars.

South Hills (Ward 57) and Chrisville (Ward 55) have been hit hard by turf wars between rival gangs, resulting in tragic incidents, including the death of a 13-year-old child and a scholar transport driver killed outside a school. This is despite countless promises by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to curb gangsterism.

“The DA condemns these senseless killings in the strongest terms. We reiterate our demand for Lesufi to intervene urgently and direct SAPS to deploy specialised units to investigate and dismantle the criminal networks holding communities hostage. Furthermore, he must allocate necessary resources to police stations such as Booysens and Moffat View so they can deal with the scourge,” he said.

Recently, Lesufi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with law enforcement agencies, asserting that it would lead to a cohesive strategy for combating crime.

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“He confidently declared that ‘the real forces are coming back to clean our homes.’ However, in the areas most affected by crime, there is a noticeable absence of visible policing, and the so-called ‘Amapanyaza’ crime wardens are nowhere in sight.

“A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would prioritise real safety by deploying SAPS’ specialised unit, increasing operations to eradicate illegal firearms, and introducing community outreach programmes to steer young people away from gangsterism by offering educational resources, skills training, and job opportunities,” explained Dos Santos.

Lesufi, mayors, police commissioner sign Gauteng Safety Agreement

Last month, Lesufi, with executive mayors and mayors or their representatives from Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Midvaal, Lesedi and Mogale, publicly signed an agreement of understanding and committed to a seamless mission to fight crime in Gauteng through their respective law enforcement agencies.

The SAPS were also signatories to the agreement.

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“Today, the signing of this agreement does away with red tape and administrative bureaucracy and is replaced by a borderless Gauteng that allows us to jointly use our resources to tackle crime, wherever a drug dealer is, a murderer, thief, rapist, hijacker or GBV perpetrator, we will track and find them because municipal borders do not hinder us,” said Lesufi.

He added, “We are doing this for one reason: We are taking back Gauteng from criminals because if we can’t get crime right, we can’t get the country right.

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“We will not get investment, peace, or a safe city for our citizens.”

He said 450 criminals had already been identified, and action had been taken. As of April 15, 138 had been arrested and 17 killed while resisting arrest or killed in self-defence by police during operations.

The Office of the Premier was contacted for comment; they are aware of this matter. However, the Southern Courier is still waiting for their response.

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