Xavier Radio Ug News 24 7
Acting Police Minister Professor Firoz Cachalia has called for the strengthening of the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) to combat rising organised crime networks and criminal syndicates.
Cachalia announced this during his visit to the homes of families affected by a mass shooting which occurred on Wednesday in Westbury, Johannesburg.
The tragic event left two people dead and three others, including a 15-month-old baby, with gunshot wounds.
Cachalia says the South African National Defence Force is actively arriving in several crime-ridden provinces to assist the South African Police Service with internal security operations.
“I want to convene a meeting of those community structures in all the affected areas, bring them all together and have a conversation with them about what role the community can play in supporting these increased efforts to deal with the problem of gang violence. It’s very heartbreaking. Here we have a 15-year-old child who died and who was injured. The mother passed away. I am going to visit the baby girl at Charlotte Maxeke again. There are parts of the country where deployment has already started.”
Cachalia says, “It is going to take a little bit longer than originally expected, and the reason for that is that, you know, people are raising legitimate concerns about the risks associated with deploying the army because the soldiers are not trained in policing. So we have to ensure that we take them through a process. You can call it a training process or understanding their role and also the limits of their responsibility so that we avoid a situation where, you know, people are hurt, caught in the line of fire, and so forth. So we want to make sure that the army understands its role and that that training is taking place.”
Westbury Shooting | Police making progress in mass shooting incident:
Meanwhile, Marilyn Smouse, a Ward 82 councillor in the City of Johannesburg, has voiced frustration following a recent shooting in Westbury.
Smouse says violent crime remains a serious concern in the area and notes that previously announced security interventions have yet to be implemented. She says the community had been assured that the army would be deployed in the area, but this has not yet happened.
Smouse has also called on authorities to visit affected families and provide clearer communication about the steps being taken to address the ongoing violence, saying communities in Westbury continue to suffer amid persistent criminal activity.
“No, man, this is rather unfair that everything just gets swept under the carpet. No, no, no. No, I am not happy. And I told this to the minister in a closed-door meeting that we had the last time here at JMPD. This is what we come and do here. It can finish early in the morning; this is the only thing. Those families are crying. The families are crying. Now we must go to a hospital. We must go and visit elsewhere. Why don’t you approach the family and the residents of Westbury and the surrounding areas that are undergoing this dilemma every day?”
“We said that we are bringing in the army. Where’s the army? When is the army coming? This cannot be the order of the day, that the minister comes here for five minutes. What I get to do is be in my ward. So Fietas Police Station is my ward. They are being disrespectful. I’ve been calling them from 7 o’clock this morning because we saw this notice going out. This cannot be right,” says Smouse.
She adds: “My concern is that the army needs to come in because our children are dying on the streets of Westbury prematurely every day. Glenlora Park and all other areas. This cannot be the order of the day, that he comes here with his whole entourage and does not do anything. Going to visit a baby in the hospital. What about the families in Westbury that are waiting for the minister? There’s a notice that went out to say that the minister will be here. This is wrong, what they are doing. What have they done since last year? They have done absolutely nothing. Let them come for me. I said it. They have done nothing.”
WATCH | One of the residents in Westbury is demanding the immediate deployment of the army following the mass shooting which claimed two lives. According to police, investigations are at an advanced stage, and the suspects are expected to be arrested soon. pic.twitter.com/BJAwBDnoR9
— SABC News (@SABCNews) March 7, 2026
www.sabcnews.com, https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/1111215-2/
