Police have still not made any arrests in connection with the fatal shooting of a 27-year-old man three weeks ago.
Josh Solomons was walking to the shop in Dirk Adams Street, on Saturday June 11, when he was shot, according to Philippi police station spokesman Captain Lance Goliath.
He said no arrests had been made yet.
“A case of murder is under investigation at Philippi police detective branch,” he said.
A woman, who lives in the area and did not want to be named as she fears for her safety, said there had been sporadic shooting in the neighbourhood since the killing.
“The police have no leads. We were told that the investigating officer is on leave. They just don’t communicate with us.“
She said people had such easy access to guns and weren’t scared to use them. “People will start taking the law into their own hands.“
She claimed that the ward councillor Antonio van de Rheede had been quiet about the killing. Newfields was mostly plagued by robberies, not killings, she said.
Acting Philippi police station commander Captain Colin Nathan said the killing had shocked the community because Newfields was not known as a hot spot for murders.
Mr Solomons’s death could have resulted from a robbery gone wrong, he said.
“If the community has any information, they must come forward because in the two weeks that I’ve been acting station commander, no on has come forward with information.”
Mr Van de Rheede said that residents needed to address their safety concerns with the police, and if they had no success, they could write a complaint to him.
“Safety is also important to me as it is to any other resident. The police must do their jobs by addressing safety concerns,” he said.
