22 killed in two months: Inside Westbury’s deadly gang war

Westbury residents in Johannesburg say they are living in fear as escalating gang violence brings almost daily gunfire to the community. Community activist Eugene Dooms says 22 people have been killed between July and August amid a violent turf and drug war involving the Varados and Fast Guns.

Residents in Westbury in Johannesburg continue to live in fear as gunfire rings out in the area daily.

Currently, two prominent violent street gangs, the Varados and Fast Guns, are holding their community at ransom.

Speaking to IOL, community activist from One Force SA, Eugene Dooms, said the ongoing gang violence has a devastating effect on the community.

“From July to August, there have been 22 people killed. This is only in Westbury. There’s a systematic genocide taking place in the area. While gangs have always been around since the late 70s, this recent spate of gang violence is just crazy. We're not free when walking in the streets because shots can go off randomly at any time,” Dooms said.

Westbury community activist Eugene Dooms from One Force SA said the ongoing violence has left residents devastated.

“The gang violence has moved beyond drugs and turf. These guys are turning on each other and now forming splinter groups because there are factions. Everyone wants a piece of the pie,” Dooms explained.

He also told IOL that while resources such as the SANDF have been sent, it has been done without strategy.

“When these incidents (shootings) happen, there is no army. When they do come, they are not trained to solve the problem. They do not go after the perpetrators. We are not seeing any prosecutions. We are not seeing any return on the millions in budget spent on sending in the army,” Dooms said.

Residents of Westbury in Johannesburg are subjected to non-stop gunfire.

Government is spending R823 million on the deployment of the SANDF to gang-ridden areas such as Gauteng, the Western Cape, and the Eastern Cape under Operation Prosper.

He said government was failing in its mandate to protect citizens because they do not engage or listen to stakeholders on the ground.

“Our law enforcement is not proactive. They are reactive. This is an indictment of the government that their strategy is not working. Now, we can only save ourselves. It’s our kids killing one another. It is only us that can save us. Our community needs to come together and stand together,” Dooms explained.

Dooms, alongside residents and other stakeholders in the community, will be marching to the Johannesburg mayor’s office on Friday, August 21, and hand over a memorandum as they call for the area to be declared a state of disaster.