The Lansdowne area has been rocked by a recent spate of violence, marking the third shooting incident in under a month. On Wednesday evening, the community was once again thrust into fear as a man was fatally shot while driving along Turfhall Road.
According to police reports, the assailant exited a vehicle that was trailing the victim’s car and unleashed a barrage of bullets at him. The gunman then hastily retreated to the same vehicle and escaped from the scene.
Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, a police spokesperson, stated that Lansdowne police are actively investigating the details of this tragic event.
“Upon arrival near the corners of Racecourse and Flamingo Roads at around 7:50 pm, they found the body of an unidentified male inside a motor vehicle who sustained multiple gunshot wounds,”
Swartbooi explained.
“The victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel. The unknown suspects fled the scene and they are yet to be arrested.”
The police are still looking into the motive behind the murder, which remains unclear at this point.
A local source revealed that the victim was purportedly once a prominent member of the Rich Kids gang in Hanover Park before affiliating with a different gang known as the Inglorious Bastards.
“He was the leader of a gang called the Rich Kids and he switched to IGB (Inglorious Bastards). He was also a known drug dealer,”
the insider disclosed.
The Lansdowne Community Policing Forum (CPF) expressed concern that gang conflicts in Hanover Park are starting to affect neighboring areas. A representative from the CPF commented on the patterns of violence that seem to originate from nearby regions and encroach upon the quieter streets of Lansdowne.
“What we can say is that the shooting emanates from neighbouring areas that are along Turfhall Road. And then are brought to Lansdowne, maybe because it is quiet this side,”
said the CPF representative.
He detailed the sequence of the shooting, noting that the victim had slowed down at a traffic signal when the shooter’s vehicle pulled up behind him, leading to the fatal shots before the assailants quickly fled the area.
The string of shootings within such a short period has raised alarms within the community.
“It absolutely a cause for concern, it means that the CPF and the local station commander have to put their heads together and partner with the surrounding area and improve the safety of the people. This is not just about shooting members of gangs, the probability of innocent people being shot is high. Look at the learner in Belgravia who got hit in a crossfire. Our safety plan must include this kind of crime that is new in Lansdowne and has left the people shaken,”
added the CPF representative.
The violence in Lansdowne follows two other recent incidents in the area: on March 27, eight individuals were shot inside a taxi at the intersection of Turfhall and Belgravia Roads, and on April 2, four more were wounded in Wetton, highlighting an urgent need for community and police action to curb the rising violence.
