Hanover Park residents are fearing of an all-out gang war following the death of an alleged high-ranking member of the Ghettos gang who was shot and killed on Wednesday night.
The attack happened on the corner of Lansdowne Road and Jan Smuts Drive at around 9.30pm.
Esa Manuel, aka Hadjie, 23, was shot and killed in his white VW Polo by suspects in an Opel Corsa.
Witnesses say one man got out of the car and fired around 10 shots at Esa, killing him.
His 25-year-old girlfriend and one-year-old son who were with him were also hit but both survived and are recovering in hospital.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andre Traut said the shooting happened while the Polo was standing at the robots.
He confirmed the motive behind the incident is gang-related.
“The driver of the vehicle, a 23-year-old male, was shot and killed, while his two passengers, a female and a baby were injured.
“The suspect fled with others in a red Opel Corsa and they are yet to be arrested, while we have reason to believe that the incident is gang-related.”
A 36-year-old Hanover Park resident told the Daily Voice: “Hadjie picked up his girlfriend from their house in Eerie Court earlier and drove down Hanover Park Drive and turned left into Lansdowne Road.
“He stopped at the garage near the Burger King when the silver Corsa pulled up and one guy got out and shot at him,” she said, giving a different description of the colour of the vehicle.
Videos circulating after the shooting showed 10 shell casings lying around the vehicle, while onlookers could be seen standing at the scene.
Another video showed the mother lying on the pavement on Jan Smuts Drive, slowly moving her arm while her child was being held by another woman.
The resident said that the shooter is thought to be a member of the same gang, and that there is a power struggle within the Ghetto Kidz following the death of their alleged leader Faizel Manuel, aka Sheikh, last May due to illness.
Manuel was Hadjie’s father.
“There is now a struggle within the gang for who will take over from Sheikh.
“His other son, Goofy, was arrested a few months ago for murder and drug possession and he was the one that was assumed to have taken over.
“The fight is now between the older members of the Ghettos and the younger ones but now the whole area is bang and most people stayed inside today after Hadjie was shot.”
Hanover Park CPF chairperson Ebrahim Abrahams says the CPF and Philippi police held a meeting to discuss possible interventions to thwart a possible gang war.
“The problem we have now is that SAPS is blocking any sort of intervention that we have proposed and they are simply not working with us,” he says.
“I cannot understand why because we have had successful interventions but now, for whatever reason, we are not getting any help so all we can do is tell residents to stay vigilant.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za