“My nephew was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Those were the words of a grieving family following a deadly shooting in Westbury, Johannesburg, that has once again exposed the devastating toll of gang violence on innocent families.
Gunmen opened fire in the area on Thursday evening, leaving five people wounded, including a 15-month-old baby, in what residents believe was a gang-related attack.
Two victims later died from their injuries - 19-year-old Reece Oliphant, and the mother of the toddler.
Meanwhile in Cape Town, police launched a manhunt after four people, including a woman, were shot and killed in Philippi East on Saturday night.
According to Saps, the shooting occurred at about 9:30pm in the Marikana informal settlement.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said Philippi East police opened murder and attempted murder cases.
“Reports from the scene indicate that two gunmen entered the yard and fired several shots,” Potelwa said, adding that provincial serious and violent crime detectives were probing the incident.
According to Gauteng police, the victims in the Westbury shooting were standing at the corner of Larkspur Court and Jacaranda Court when an unknown number of suspects suddenly opened fire on them. All five victims sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to hospital, where the woman was declared dead on arrival.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the attack.
For Oliphant’s family, the tragedy is deeply personal. A relative, who asked to be identified only as Kruger to protect the family’s identity, said the 19-year-old had matriculated in 2025 and had taken a gap year while helping his father build a small business supplying marketing materials.
Kruger said the father-and-son team had been working hard to grow the venture in the hope that it would one day allow the family to move away from the violence that has long gripped Westbury.
On the day of the shooting, they had been working together before returning home for a short break. Oliphant’s father allowed him a few minutes to greet a friend who lived around the corner.
“His father gave him 10 minutes to greet a friend around the corner from where they live. In those ten minutes gunshots went off, his father told his younger brothers to get inside the house only to be told by somebody passing by that his son Reece had just been shot,” she said.
Kruger said the family had recently moved to the area and Oliphant was still unfamiliar with some of the surrounding streets.
She said Oliphant and his friends had been standing outside the yard of the boy he went to visit when chaos erupted.
“The two boys ran straight up the road and Reece to his right not knowing it's a dead end because he was not very familiar with the area,” she said.
Oliphant was the eldest of four brothers and someone the younger boys looked up to.
Kruger said Oliphant’s father had always tried to shield his children from the violence that has plagued Westbury for years.
“His father kept his boys indoors for most of the time because of the shooting,” she added.
She said the family’s grief is also mixed with frustration at what residents see as a failure to stop the violence.
“The violent killings and witnesses fearing for their lives in Westbury have become the norm. Politicians make promises to bring safety to the area but this doesn't happen,” Kruger said.
On Saturday, Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia visited the area following the attack. He stopped at the Sophiatown police station before visiting victims in hospital.
“We cannot allow communities like Westbury to live under the fear of gangs,” Cachalia said.
He added that police would intensify operations to ensure those responsible are arrested.
“We are working with police leadership to ensure that those responsible are tracked down and brought to justice.”
Local councillor Marilyne Smouse said the community is demanding stronger intervention, including the deployment of the army.
“Our community is angry. We are angry. We are tired. Now the other day with the SOPA and all these things - when the president said that he is giving the go-ahead on the army being deployed. We want the army. That is what we are crying for. They need to be deployed immediately to our communities.”
Cape Times
