With over 80 hours of non-stop destruction, violence and looting across the community, residents who were forced to break the law in desperate attempts to save their communities and families from harm are still on high alert and guarding areas identified to have been targeted, as well as in and around shopping malls.
While residents are forced to bear the wait in backed up traffic and stand in snaking queues in the hopes of purchasing essentials at the smaller shopping centres which were safe to open, Ward 71 Councillor Previn Vedan, together with station commander of the Chatsworth SAPS, Brigadier Kevin James, political leadership and community policing forum members, gathered at the Shallcross Sports Grounds to address the Bottlebrush community to call for calm. Residents are urged not to be alarmed at the large gathering at the grounds. Many families are also mourning the loss of loved ones as news of deaths in the Crossmoor, Westcliff and Bayview areas have surfaced on social media.
Pastor Adrian Naidoo, the first chairperson of the Bayview Sub Forum, was actively involved in the fight against crime for many years and was shot on Monday night while heeding the call to patrol in Turnstone Road in Bayview, when the situation spiralled out of control.
Naidoo had been patrolling the area all day and was instrumental in barricading roads and assisting with mobilising residents to help police keep looters at bay, and on Monday night sustained a gunshot wound to his back on Turnstone Road while seated in the vehicle he was patrolling in.
Former station commander of the Bayview SAPS, Colonel Rajesh Balram, said Pastor Naidoo played a pivotal role in establishing a close relationship between residents and police when he helped form the sub forum.
“He was passionate about fighting crime and keeping the community safe. He shared a good relationship with the police and was always ready to assist us over the years. He left his family and heeded the call for backup during the volatile situation and assisted police and kept residents from harm, and it is very sad and unfortunate that he had to lose his life in the fight against criminals. We offer our sincere condolences to his family during this difficult time,” added Balram.
Pastor Naidoo was also actively involved in feeding schemes in the Bayview and surrounding communities and will be remembered by the SAPS for lending support throughout the years for a host of community and crime related initiatives.
