5 die in Chatsworth shootout

Why young men turn to crime: The role of male mentorship

- SIPHO JACK

A SHOOTOUT with police in Chatsworth that claimed the lives of five youngsters, believed to be part of a gang responsible for a long list of serious crimes, bore a grim reminder of the growing number of youth turning to criminal activity as a way of life.

In January, members of the notorious “West” gang, which has been terrorising communities in the area of Inanda with their reign of terror, also endured a fatal end after a shootout with police.

The West gang’s members were also mostly youngsters.

Independent crime analyst Dr Chris De Kock has identified the absence of positive male role models as a significant factor driving young men towards a life of crime.

In the Chatsworth shootout during the early hours of yesterday, all the deceased were in their late teens to mid-twenties, which sparked serious alarm among community leaders, law enforcement officials, and others.

An intelligence-driven operation by KwaZulu-Natal police resulted in a shootout that led to the deaths of five suspects, believed to be linked to a range of criminal activities in the Durban area.

They were holed up in a shack in the “Lusaka” informal settlement in Moorton, Chatsworth when they were confronted by police.

Police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda confirmed that their actions were part of an intelligence-driven operation.