The mother of a Lentegeur man who was shot dead the day after his 27th birthday last week has urged witnesses to his killing to come forward.
Lorraine Lawrence does not want her son, Brandon “Chocky” Lawrence, to be just another statistic.
Brandon was on his way to draw cash from an ATM at a BP garage, in Eros Way, Woodlands, at 9pm on Thursday July 2, when he was gunned down. The next day, another body was found just metres from the spot where he was killed.
“I am heartbroken. I don’t want another parent to feel and go through, what I am,” Ms Lawrence said.
According to her, Brandon died 23 years ago to the day that his father’s life-support machines were switched off after he was shot in the family home.
“I want people to stand up to the gangs, who are damaging our children, forcing them, hitting them to become gang members,” Ms Lawrence said.
“Even if they noticed anything unusual, please help us bring justice and peace over the loss of our loved ones.”
She urged mothers to oppose accused killers’ bail bids.
“My son was not afraid. He said: ‘I’m not afraid. I’m not a gangster.’ Why can’t our children be free to go wherever they want
to?”
In a statement, family friend Claudia Cogill said people had a constitutional right to protection under the law, but “our children are being killed daily and nothing is done”Communities were being robbed of “human capital, potential and capabilities”, she said.
“It is now time to draw on all resources in communities and help fight this pandemic of crime.
“It is enough that we have to deal with the national Covid-19 lockdown as a pending issue, which also does not have a resolution.”
According to Lentegeur police spokeswoman Constable Felicia Adams, three men approached Brandon at about 9.15pm on Thursday July 2. He was shot several times in the head and upper body and died at the scene.
About 11 hours later, a teenager, 19, was shot several times in the head at about 8am on Friday July 3.
The killers are still at large. Anyone with information can call Detective Sergeant Marlon van Neel at 082 411 2382.
A man is due to appear in the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, Thursday July 9, in connection with the murder of Chad Basson, 19, almost two years ago.
The man was arrested in Port Elizabeth at the weekend, after Chad’s father, Cornelius, petitioned the national safety and security portfolio committee in November last year.
Mr Basson has written more than 50 letters to various authorities in the hope of bringing his son’s killers to book.
Due to national Covid-19 lockdown regulations, Mr Basson was not able to see the accused but said he was glad an arrest had been made.
Mr Basson said he and his wife, Dawn, had sat outside of the courtroom with mixed emotions because they wanted someone to pay for killing their son and in their grief they had blamed everyone, including God.
Chad was shot dead on July 28 2018 while trying to protect his friends from a drive-by shooting.
Mr Basson said he understood people were afraid because they lived among the shooters, but if no one did anything the perpetrators would be “untouchables”.
He said the state’s witness protection programme was there for those who came forward and their identities could be protected.
Men accused of murdering senior drum major and head coach of Western Province Marching Association, Chad Arendse, 19, from Beacon Valley, on June 16 last year were due in court yesterday Tuesday July 7.
