SHARPEVILLE. – The community in Sharpeville, especially young kids who go to school, should not live in fear as a result of gang violence.
This sentiment was shared by the Sharpeville Station commander Colonel Moshabi Mboyi. Recently she condemned the actions of two gangs, namely Sparter and Mamba, who are currently at war with one another.
As a result of the war, a female student from Lekoa Shandu High School was hacked with a panga by one of the gangs. She lost a finger. Another male was also hacked. Both the victims had to be treated at the local clinic last week.
Mboyi said that this was a crisis that had to be dealt with urgently as innocent victims were now being terrorised. “This war not only involves gang members, families always end up suffering because if the one gang looks for a member of the other gang, when they get to his home, they end up threatening families and sometimes go as far as vandalising property.
“Arrests have already been made and some members have been arrested. More arrests will be made.”
Solomon Mofokeng, a member of the Sharpeville community working closely with the police, says, “These gangs are formed by people who come from initiation schools. When they come back, they form groups and start fighting with one another.
Mofokeng said that the reason was that the boys leave school and have nothing to do. When they get back from initiaton school, they are more likely to get involved in negative things.”
He urged members of the community to also get involved in trying to end gang violence.
Police are investigating cases of common assault, malicious damage to property and assault to perpetrate Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH).
