Wentworth woman shot in suspected drug-related crossfire

Wentworth woman shot in suspected drug-related crossfire

A Wentworth woman is in hospital after being shot in the head while walking home.

wentworth-woman-shot-in-suspected-drug-related-crossfire
Lauren Beukes

Police says 40-year-old Heidi Vonschaeffer was caught in the crossfire when someone apparently randomly opened fire on Lansdowne Road on Monday night.


Her sisters say they were woken up and told Vonshaeffer had been shot.


"We just panicked. We all woke up and ran. We were in shock when we got to the scene."


She's said to be in a stable condition. 


READ: UKZN cancels classes for the week due to violent student protests


Durban police say a case of attempted murder is being investigated and no arrests have been made.


Following the shooting, a group of residents from the Landsdowne Road flats met with with the local councillor, the CPF and police. 


Resident Elaine Pieterse says these shootings are usually drug-related. She says they want increased police visibility.


"We had an incident before where individuals were in a car driving drown Silvertree Road and while children were walking from school [they] just opened fire at random and kids were running."


"My biggest fear is to see the death of a child or my children being injured by shots or someone that is close to me," she says. 


ALSO READ: Mom speaks out as gang violence escalates in Wentworth


Frustrated residents tore down a structure at a block of flats, saying it's a meeting point for drug dealers. 


Residents told police and a local councillor that dismantling the makeshift structure would help reduce drug-related crimes in the area.


"We have got the support of the Cluster now. The structure was built by the community to be used for fun time like braais and now it's being used by drug dealers," the CPF's Donovan Anderson says. 

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