Four Beacon Valley children had their mother snatched from them when she was shot dead.
Three of the children will be raised by their grandmother, who has always been their primary caregiver, and their baby brother, by an aunt.
The children’s grandmother Elverine Wilson, said her daughter Roseline may have been on drugs, but didn’t deserve to die so violently. Roseline was shot in the head on Wednesday July 22 days after an alleged gangster was also killed nearby.
“What kind of a human does that? She could have been what she was she was on drugs but she was my child. How can you shoot a woman point blank in the middle of the road?” she asked.
Ms Wilson said her daughter roamed the streets and would occasionally come knock at her door for bread, which is when the children would see their mother.
“They would see her all of the time. It is very emotional. The younger children don’t quite understand but we miss her,” she said.
Ms Wilson pleaded for the shooting to stop because innocent people were being killed.
Of the more than 100 people who had come to pay their respects, said Ms Wilson, none had uttered a bad word about her daughter.
“She had respect and she was a lovable person. You raise your child to the best of your ability but the minute they step outside, you don’t know what they get up to,” she said.
Ms Wilson’s son Clint, 24, was also gunned down 16 years ago, about a year after he got married. Two other men were also shot dead last month either on or close to a field bordered by Biljaart Street, Netball Crescent, Judo and Hengelaar Streets, in Beacon Valley which residents have dubbed the “killing field”.
Roseline’s one-year-old son will be raised by his paternal aunt Fayroez Fisant, co-ordinator of Mothers United, a non-governmental organisation, which has been feeding up to 300 children twice a week.
Last September the mothers started feeding their community, gave the children party packs, fought for their fields and parks to be safe from drugs and gangsterism and encourage the youth to seek employment.
“Most of what we give comes from our own pockets and we have some regular donors, whom we are grateful for,” she said.
Ms Fisant said last Tuesday just after they had distributed food, while their children were sitting outside the gate, they had to duck as gangsters opened fire in Netball Crescent.
The mothers prepare and distribute food in Netball Crescent, which borders a netball court and the field; and in Korfbal Street close to where Ms Fisant lives.
They also hosted a demonstration against abuse and gender-based violence, forming a human chain from Roseline’s mother’s house in Korfbal Street, along Hengelaar, Gymkhana and Morgenster roads to AZ Berman Drive, on Monday July 27.
Captain Ian Williams, spokesman for Mitchell’s Plain police station, confirmed a shooting on Tuesday July 4 about 5am, when a man was shot in the jaw on an open field in Hengelaar Street. He said a case of attempted murder was being investigated.
Police are looking for information on Roseline’s shooting at about 2am on Wednesday July 22.
Captain Williams said it alleged that she had been walking with a known gang member, when she was shot by a rival gang.
No one was arrested and a case of murder is being investigated.
Captain Williams said the body of a man was found on an open field at Judo Street on Wednesday July 15 at 11:50pm. He had two gunshot wounds to his upper body. “The man was allegedly walking with a friend when the shooters approached him and opened fire,” he said.
No arrests were made and a case of murder is being investigated.
Anyone with information about the shootings can call the station’s serious and violent crimes unit on 082 777 8076.