Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has told Inanda’s notorious West Gang to give up or face a police crackdown, which “won’t be nice”.
Speaking at the launch of a safety campaign at JL Dube Stadium in Inanda on Thursday, Mchunu said the gang has made the Durban township, already known as the murder capital of KwaZulu-Natal, even more dangerous.
“We are not here to play in Inanda with the West Gang group,” Mchunu said.
“I am calling on the gang members to surrender before the police come to them. It won’t be nice if the members of the SAPS come after them. We are tired of Inanda being the murder hotspot in Durban.”
The gang, made up mostly of young men, is believed to have powerful backers. Its members drive fancy cars and attack people in broad daylight, using guns and knives to rob homes of TVs, laptops, phones and money.
They are known to kill people who resist, and many families have fled Inanda because of them.
Uber drivers and locals told Scrolla.Africa they can’t carry phones or laptops because gang members rob people at bus stops and on their way to school or work.
An Uber driver, who wanted to stay anonymous, said: “I usually come back home at around 2am, but I just don’t drive straight to my yard. Instead, I have to drive past my home just to check if someone is following me. Once I’ve made every safety inspection, I drive straight to my gate.
“Even when I’m home, I have to stay in the car for 10 minutes to make sure that no one is in my yard who can kill me. That’s how unsafe the West Gang has made Inanda.”
Pictured above: Several police units have been introduced in Durban to fight crime in townships and other parts of the city.
Source: Supplied
