Community living in fear as Eldorado Park killings increase

The community of Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, is living in fear after a man was shot dead at the weekend.

The police are investigating a case of murder after the shooting, which was reportedly carried out by three men.

“It alleged that on January 22 two men were sitting in a car at Eldorado Park when three unknown coloured men accosted them and started shooting,” Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Sello said.

“The two ran away in different directions, but one of them sustained multiple gunshot wounds while the other survived without injury.”

The suspects were reportedly seen driving away in a silver grey microbus.

Dereleen James, community activist, said killings have increased since mid-2022.

“It’s reached a point where it's daily. We have sent a memorandum to the police and the premier.

“We had a 23-year-old girl murdered. Yesterday [Sunday] we had a 26-year-old killed. The complaints were so that we don’t get to a point where it is happening daily.

“We asked the police for specialised interventions. It's unconventional times in our community. The community is suffering, we can’t walk in the streets,” said James.

The community has protested and camped outside a police station to no avail.

“There is no intelligence being gathered. There’s no will from government to address crime in our area. It’s not just at night, [but also] in the morning and during the day.

“We feel traumatised because people don't have an opportunity to heal. Every day we hear the sound of gunfire,” she said.

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