Westbury residents report not hearing gunshots for first time in months

Westbury residents said they slept through the night, for the first time in months, without hearing a single gunshot.

They have attributed this to the presence of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who were in the area on Wednesday.

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Together with the police, soldiers raided several homes, looking for illegal firearms, drugs and contraband.

Police made several arrests for various violations during the operation.

The streets of Westbury are relatively quiet on Thursday, with residents staying indoors as the rain pours.

One resident, who has lived in the area for five years, said he is pleased to have seen the soldiers on Wednesday, because the area is rife with gang violence.

He said in recent months, almost every day there were gunshots ringing out in the community.

“We just hear such and such person was shot dead, and sometimes it's gang-related.”

He added that while they know the deployment is temporary, they hope that during this time, the gang leaders are arrested and removed from the community.