Residents of Lenasia are increasingly hesitant to visit Eldorado Park—to see family, meet friends, or start businesses—because of the relentless gun violence that has plagued the community since 2020. Week after week, another life is lost. People are shot, injured, or killed. For those left behind—families, neighbors, colleagues—life is lived in constant fear, never knowing who might be next.
In just five years, an estimated 150 people have been shot and killed in Eldorado Park. Despite this staggering toll, the violence shows no signs of slowing. Even the recent Crime Prevention Imbizo hosted by the South African Police Services (SAPS) on April 25, 2025, at Don Mateman Civic Centre has brought little comfort. Residents say their cries for help are still being ignored.
This isn’t the first time officials have vowed to act. In 2022, at the height of another deadly wave, SAPS National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola visited Eldorado Park multiple times, meeting with leaders, activists, and media. But little changed then—and little has changed now.
Gunshots echo through the night and pierce the day. They are no longer shocking. They are expected. And that is the tragedy.
Eldorado Park doesn’t need more speeches. It needs swift, decisive action.
In 2022, community members camped outside the police station for 100 days—some even bringing coffins to represent the lives lost and the pain endured. They begged for answers, asking, “What have we done?” But the killings continued.
Even after the recent *Imbizo*, the gunfire hasn’t stopped. This raises uncomfortable but necessary questions: Are SAPS interventions merely performative? Is there a real, concrete plan to end the bloodshed? Or are they waiting for one of their own to be gunned down before action is taken?
Repeated inquiries to SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe about a long-term strategy have gone unanswered. This silence deepens mistrust—and fear.
Eldorado Park has shown extraordinary resilience. But resilience is not enough. The community needs a comprehensive, long-term safety strategy—one that prioritizes justice, accountability, and human dignity.
The time for promises is over. The time for action is now. The people of Eldorado Park deserve to live free from fear.
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