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Officers sworn in
About 5000 police recruits were officially sworn into the police service in five parades across the country on Friday 13 December. Of these, 1045 officers were sworn in at the combined parade of the Philippi and Bishop Lavis police colleges. The officers will now be deployed to stations across the country. Pictured is Capt Bart Nel who lead the combined parade for the last time. He has been stationed at the Philippi Academy for 39 years and will soon retire. See more on page 12. PHOTO: SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS
TAFELSIG
Family mourns death SAMANTHA LEE-JACOBS @Samantha_Lee121
T
he heartbreak of losing a young child to gang violence is written on the faces of her family and neighbours. Their pain only made worse by the fact that the alleged killer was considered a friend. It has been a sombre start to the festive season for the Kelly family who has to face this holiday period without 10-year-old Ayesha. She was caught in the crossfire of rival gangs mere metres from her Tafelsig home on Sunday 8 December. For her mother, Inshaaf, she has lost more than just a daughter. “I looked up to her. She was more than just my eldest child,” says Insaaf. Her stepfather, Johnathan Arendse, says the pain of the ordeal is too much to bear.
“This really hurts. My “Someone came running heart is broken but I know I around the corner to tell me need to be strong for her and Ayesha had been shot. I strong for the family,” says couldn’t get to her as fast as Arendse. I wanted to. I held her, I was “The man who killed her crying and calling out her was our friend. I would sit name but she wasn’t rewith him in the afternoon aftsponding. I just knew she er work and if Inshaaf was gone.” cooked, she would dish a An ambulance arrived plate for him too.” and declared Ayesha dead at Neighbours had come tothe scene. gether in the street on that Tafelsig is one of the gangSunday afternoon. Ayesha Kelly was a Grade 4 ridden areas where soldiers Inshaaf and Ayesha were learner at Tafelsig Primary. have been deployed to help on their way to the shop when stem the scourge of gang vioshe was distracted and turned back while lence. At the time Ayesha was killed, the Ayesha continued. South African Defence Force along with po“The music was loud in the street and lice were conducting operation lockdown in none of us heard the gunshots,” says In- the next street. shaaf. National police minister Bheki Cele says
this is the reason for the speedy arrests. “The suspects were arrested within an hour,” says Cele. But Arendse says the system has failed them. “The army has made no difference here,” says Arendse. Fayrouz Kelly, Ayesha’s grandmother, agrees. “The army hoot and come through with their guns and their tanks, but that is all they do here,” she says. “Even at the janaaza, these gangsters were still shooting and continued shooting even when we were carrying her body to the masjied.” Cele and national police commissioner Lt Gen Khehla Sithole visited the family on Wednesday 11 December, followed by a large contingent of police vehicles. V Continued on page 2.