In a dramatic demonstration on Monday, about 100 people protested outside the Papenkuil Cemetery in Gelvandale to draw attention to the ongoing violence plaguing northern areas residents.
Motorists were met by emotional scenes as dozens of people, all dressed in black and holding black crosses and placards berating violence, lined Stanford Road.
Three coffins were placed in the centre island as part of the “Coloured Lives Matter” protest.
PA mayoral candidate Bradley Murray said the protest had nothing to do with politics.
“Our leader, Gayton McKenzie, made a request that we must stand together as a community against the carnage that is happening in our areas.
“All lives matter of course, but what is happening in the northern areas is a shame.
“More and more people are dying on the streets. It is not right that a mother must say goodbye to her 14-year-old child that was shot. It is not normal. Every single day there is an incident.
“We chose this facility for a reason. Because it’s the last ride the victim will have before being buried.”
Patricia Bartman said 2025 marked the 19th anniversary of the death of her daughter who was killed in her house before her killer shot himself.
“It affected our whole family. She had a seven-month-old baby. For six months, we could not sleep because he was looking for his mother.
“My daughter was so full of life. Her son is big now. He asks a lot of questions about his mother.
“It was a very difficult time for us. My husband and son took years to heal. We are still hurting after all these years.”
Bronwyn Jacobs could not hold back the tears when she recalled how her 26-year-old son was fatally shot in Gelvandale in 2017.
“There was no justice for my son.
“The police ruled he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“We miss him a lot, especially when it’s his birthday and during Christmas time.
“His 30-year-old sister did not want to leave it there and conducted her own investigation.
“That cost her her life because a year after his death she was shot dead at home.
“Nothing came from her death also. She was shot in the neck.”
Renaldo Coll of Sky Funeral Services said there was an increase in the number of unnatural deaths in the northern areas.
“We see parents bury their children.
“More consideration must be given to the plight of the people of the northern areas,” he said.
“Their voices must be heard and more eyes and ears must be on the ground.
“There is a huge spike in killings in the area.”
Anita Koopman Smith said she was still grieving her son’s sudden death in 2014 when he was hit by a car in Gelvandale.
“I take every day step-by-step, but it is very difficult.”
Last week, The Herald reported that almost 2,000 youths were arrested in Gqeberha’s northern areas in just one year.
The cycle of violence and addiction is being perpetuated by elements of gangsterism that resulted in 1,868 people aged 14 to 35 being charged for a variety of crimes.
Leading the statistics are offences under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act that accounted for 444 cases.
That was followed by common assault, with 259 cases, and driving offences in terms of the National Road Traffic Act, with 258 cases.
Violent crimes also featured on the list, with 73 cases of unlawful possession of firearms, 22 murder cases and 33 attempted murder cases.
The statistics were revealed by community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha in response to a parliamentary question from the DA.
The Herald
