Athlone residents furious over death of schoolgirl caught in gang crossfire
The grade 11 learner was standing at the gates of Belgravia High School when she was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs.
FILE: A girl, 16, was killed in front of the Belgravia High School in Athlone after being caught in the crossfire in a shootout between rival gangs.Picture: Pexels
CAPE TOWN - A community leader in Silvertown, in Athlone, says residents are saddened and angered by the recent killing of an innocent schoolgirl in the area.
Gang violence claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl in Athlone on Friday.
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The grade 11 learner was standing at the gates of Belgravia High School when she was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs.
Police say the shootout between gangs also led to the death of a 20-year-old man in the same area.
On Thursday, two people were also shot and killed in Belgravia and Bridgetown, in Athlone.
A Silvertown community leader, who wants to remain anonymous, says these senseless killings need to stop.
"We want to deal with the head of SAPS [South African Police Service] at Athlone police station. We don't want to deal with the front desk, and we want to know if there's something being done about this because this is not a secluded incident, it's not an incident that's just happened now," the community leader said.
"It's been going on for a while there, and they haven't gotten control of it all. It seems to us as the community that they're not interested in getting control of it."