Wentworth residents have issued a unified call for peace as escalating gang violence and drug-related killings continue to devastate the community. Hundreds of residents, religious leaders, and business owners marched through the streets on Monday, carrying makeshift coffins behind a hearse in a symbolic plea to end the cycle of death.
The demonstration highlighted growing frustration over frequent shootings and the alarming rate of funerals in the area.
Organiser Darian Smith said the march was a powerful message from a community exhausted by loss.
“We no longer want to be burying our kids due to violence, gang wars, shootings and the drug trade,” he said. “We are making a statement this is the lost child.”
Smith said the protest was not only an act of mourning but an attempt to reclaim the neighbourhood from criminal elements. He emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with police and better resourcing at the local station.
“What does it look like when we start to build bridges? When we work hand in hand?” he said. “SAPS is under-resourced. In a community with so much violence, how is it that we only have one van?”
The march comes two weeks after a gang-related shooting left two people dead, adding to a long list of tragedies that residents say could have been prevented.
Smith stressed that accountability is essential both from law enforcement and the community itself.
“How do we hold our police station and other structures responsible? How do we work with them by reporting crimes and not entertaining drug lords and gangsters?” he said.
The march concluded at the Women of Wentworth Centre, where organisers launched the Wentworth Rise Against Violence campaign. A memorandum was handed to the local police commander, calling for increased resources, community training, and crime-prevention workshops to help residents take back control of their streets.