THE deadly war between the Russians and the Columbians has claimed three lives.
There is an apparent gang turf war in Poortjie, south of Joburg, where five men travelling in a Toyota Corolla were ambushed and shot on Thursday night.
Three died in a hail of bullets at the scene and two were rushed to the nearest hospital for urgent medical attention after suffering gunshot wounds to their lower and upper bodies.
Witnesses said the shooting took place several minutes after a public meeting was held in the area to address fears of a gang war spiralling out of control.
Police spokesman Captain Johannes Motsiri confirmed there was a meeting that was attended by cops, residents and some gang members.
“It was not long after we left that we received calls that there had been a shooting in the area where the meeting was held,” said Motsiri.
At the scene residents said the two gangs – the Russians who are based in Poortjie and the Columbians who are from Bekkersdal in the West of Joburg – have been at loggerheads since September.
When tensions simmered in December the police stepped in and a series of meetings to resolve the dispute started.
“It seemed like they had agreed to stop the violence and there were rumours they were even planning to play friendly soccer matches against each other, but I think it’s clear now they are at war,” she said.
Cops called in the big guns to attend the scene, among them Major Chris Mangena, the ballistics expert who became famous for his testimonies which led to the successful convictions of Oscar Pistorius and Lindray Khakhu.
One resident said the Toyota Corolla had earlier been parked at a car wash for the better part of the day.
“It was at the car wash for a long time, but there were no people inside it,” she said.
Motsiri said murder cases had been opened but no arrests had been made.
“We call for calm and plead with residents who might have information about this incident to come forward,” he said.
