VIOLENT crime has once again gripped Wentworth after a 20-year-old man was shot dead in broad daylight in Newlands East, marking the latest in a string of deadly shootings that have left communities living in fear.

The recent quarterly crime statistics for 2024/ 25 released by the KZN provincial government shows that the province recorded 1 428 murder cases, including 71 multiple murder incidents involving 164 victims.

Although overall murders declined, rural areas and townships remain high-risk zones, with arguments, robberies and retaliation being the key causes. To add to the recent crime statistics, Ashton Joseph was shot and killed on the corner of Galjoen and John Dory Roads.

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It is alleged that the victim had recently moved to the area following a shooting on Hime Street in Wentworth last month, in which three people were injured and one person was killed.

Last month two Wentworth men, Keith Viljoen, known as “Cooksie”, of Croton Road Flats, and Chad Marais, were ambushed while travelling from Durban Magistrate’s Court.

With crime in Wentworth continuing to rise, the KZN government has pledged stronger action and reaffirmed its commitment to ending the violence.

Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Thamsanqa Ntuli, vowed that the provincial government will deploy more police officers in Wentworth, especially in Hime Street, following a series of shootings.

Ntuli is engaging the provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to ensure the immediate deployment of additional police officers to Wentworth.

In a statement, Ntuli said the provincial government aims to strengthen police visibility and restore peace and stability in Wentworth.

Ntuli is also planning to take the Premier’s Crime-Fighting Imbizo to Wentworth, where he will engage directly with the community. He emphasised that tackling violent crime requires a co-ordinated and multispectral approach, involving the police, community policing structures, local municipalities and all spheres of government.

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Ntuli stressed that only a unified and consistent effort can successfully dismantle criminal networks, reduce the circulation of illegal firearms and restore peace in affected communities.

“The people of KZN deserve to live in safe and peaceful environments. We cannot allow gun-wielding criminals to hold our communities hostage. I am calling for immediate action, strengthened policing operations and the full weight of the law to be brought upon those responsible for this barbaric act,” said Ntuli.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, confirmed that Newlands East police station is investigating a case of murder.

He also confirmed that on November 14, two people were shot and killed while seven others were injured after two unknown suspects opened fire on a group of people seated outside a flat on Major Calvert Street. Jayden Majority, 20 and Lyden Long, 15, were killed, while the other victims were transported to hospital.

Netshiunda added that on November 17, police arrested an 18-year-old at the Woodville Road flats for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

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