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After Zechariah’s Death, Rocklands Demands Action Against Gang Violence
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, despair hung heavy over Rocklands, a neighbourhood in Mitchells Plain. A nine-year-old boy named Zechariah Matthee is dead, cut down in what neighbours describe as a hail of bullets fired into his home. With two adults also killed and more injured, the community is now grappling with grief and anger.
A home turned war zone
The violence unfolded on Tuesday night at a crowded property on Viscount Street. Four masked gunmen stormed the house, surrounding it before opening fire. Zechariah was hiding in a small wendy house on the premises when he was struck. Two young adults also died. Two more people escaped with injuries.
Residents describe the house as a problem property with a history of gang activity. Locals say the building served as a hideout for gang members, which should have prompted intervention long before tragedy struck.
Outrage spills onto social media
News of Zechariah’s death did not stay quiet. On Facebook, WhatsApp, and other community platforms, grief turned quickly to anger. Many shared messages demanded stronger action from law enforcement. Others prayed for temporary relief from the violence that continues to haunt their neighbourhoods.
For many, the sense of loss is more than personal. It is a painful reminder that children remain exposed in high-risk areas across the Cape Flats.
Calls for action from civil rights campaigners
Civil-rights group Action Society has condemned the failure to prevent such atrocities, saying the murder of a child so young reflects severe shortfalls in policing and child protection. The group believes the one-size-fits-all national policing model is not suited to tackling local crime dynamics in gang-affected communities like Mitchells Plain.
Action Society is calling for locally accountable policing structures that are properly staffed and resourced so they can respond quickly to patterns of violence in their areas.
They have vowed to support the community throughout this mourning period and to demand urgent action from the police.
A deeper problem beneath the tragedy
This horrifying shooting is not an isolated event. Mitchells Plain continues to live under the threat of gang-related violence, where problem properties are left unchecked, and families live in constant fear. Legal obstacles, limited manpower, and insufficient resources often delay necessary interventions.
Children wake up and go to bed each day knowing that danger may be just a wall away. Parents try to shield them as best they can but lack the protection they need from the state.
What must change
Residents and activists are clear about their demands. They want policing to be local. They want problem properties dealt with swiftly. They want services that protect children living in the middle of gang territory.
Most importantly, they want the death of Zechariah to mark the moment change finally begins.
Communities like Rocklands deserve safety in their streets. Families deserve peace in their homes. Children deserve to grow up. If not now, then when?
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: Blue Line Magazine
