Residents of The Hill have been left traumatised after a shoot-out between law enforcement officers and suspects in Friars Hill Road near Rosettenville on February 21.

Eight suspects were shot and killed after information led law enforcement to the house on Friars Hill Road.

One resident spoke to Southern Courier on the condition of anonymity.

“We are traumatised by what happened here. Our children are not safe in our own yards. We have been suspecting something has been going on at this address since 2013. At that time, a foreign gentleman bought the property but kicked out all the people that were renting there at that time.

“The owner illegally evicted people and rather let foreign nationals live there. We are sad to see what has become of our once proud area. We fear for our and our children’s safety. The owner doesn’t care about the area, as he doesn’t stay here.”

Another resident, who also wanted to remain anonymous, said, “I was sitting in our backyard when I heard shots going off. The SAPS helicopter wasn’t high over our house. The next moment, I heard the bullets flying over our walls as the suspects tried to shoot down the helicopter.

“After the shots died down a bit, my dad and I approached the scene to see the SUV standing in the middle of the road filled with bullet holes. We saw the law enforcement officers doing everything to get to the suspects that had barricaded themselves in a house. The last time a shoot-out has happened in The Hill was in 2015. We have now decided it will be better for our family’s safety if we move out of the area.”

Even after this success by law enforcement agencies, residents are still living in fear that it could happen again in the area, and this time injure innocent bystanders.