Fear still grips Sporong despite increased police, army presence

Sibongile*, a resident of theSporonginformal settlement on the West Rand, has not slept in her home for nearly a month. She is so fearful that every night she takes her three children to go and sleep with friends whose homes are closer to the mobile police station in the area. In January, she was one of hundreds of residents who fled Sporong due to violence from zama-zama gangs and sought refuge at a community hall in Randfontein.

Despite the government increasing police visibility in the area last month, which led to residents returning to their homes, Sibongile is still apprehensive about sleeping at home at night. “I am too scared to sleep here [at home]. I sleep better when I am at my friends’ place,” she said.

Police have increased patrols in the area and have conducted raids targeting illegal mining activities. However, for Sibongile, the further she lives from the police vans, the more vulnerable she feels. Another woman said she was also not sleeping at home and leaves her shack at around 8pm to go sleep at a friend’s home.

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“Even during the day, sometimes I get scared and jumpy. We still have trauma from what has been happening to us,” she said. Sporong residents who spoke to Sowetan at the weekend said despite a heightened police presence, they still live in fear at night but that they were a bit more settled on Thursday after seeing the army patrolling the area.

President Cyril Ramaphosaannounced the deployment of the army to hotspot areas affected by gang violence and illegal mining during his state of the nation address last week. The deployment, however, may have come too little too late for some residents. While several families have moved to newly allocated houses, others have moved out of the area permanently.

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