At least 22 people have been killed in gang-ridden Reiger Park, outside Boksburg, during the first eight months of this year, leaving grieving families demanding answers from police and hoping a renewed Hawks investigation will finally revive cases they believe have been neglected.
The figure has been kept by local community leaders who say residents are living through a prolonged gang war with little confidence that those responsible will be brought to justice.
The latest tally includes Anti-Gang Unit officers Constable Thapelo Tlomatsane and Constable Siphiwe Sibeko, as well as civilians Rolene Lessing and Jaydin Magerman, who were gunned down on August 7.
Three men — Regan Collis, Jamal Meyers and Elvino Crafford — have since been arrested and charged in connection with the quadruple murder.
Collis was already facing similar charges and was out on bail when the latest killings took place. Police are investigating whether Meyers and Crafford may have links to the Vatos Locos gang.
The allegations against the three men remain before court.
For families whose loved ones were killed months or years before the August bloodshed, the arrests have brought a measure of hope that long-stalled investigations may finally receive attention.
The Hawks, working with the National Prosecuting Authority, have confirmed that they are examining several matters flagged during the investigation. These include murder and attempted-murder cases, among other alleged offences.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said allegations of criminal conduct, corruption, collusion or negligence by law-enforcement officials would be taken seriously.
She said allegations pointing to possible criminality or misconduct by police officials could be assessed and investigated through the appropriate channels, provided there was sufficient evidence to support further investigative and prosecutorial action.
Teen Killed After Surviving Earlier Attack
Claudette van Wyk said her 17-year-old son, Donell van Wyk, survived an attempted murder before he was killed on May 8.
She said Donell was shot twice on December 17 last year. After leaving hospital, she spent days persuading him to open a case with police.
“After being discharged from hospital, and days of persuading him to lay charges, my son ultimately opened a case and informed the police that he was attacked by two Vatos Locos gang members,” Van Wyk said.
She said alleged gang members repeatedly approached and threatened her son, demanding that he withdraw the case.
Donell became so afraid that he wore a balaclava when leaving home and was scared to attend school, according to his mother.
On April 8, gunmen allegedly opened fire at the family’s flat while Donell was away.
“They couldn’t find him,” Van Wyk said.
A month later, she said, he was cornered and killed.
“My son was shot six times in the head,” she said.
Van Wyk said two people were arrested in connection with the earlier attempted murder, but that the case was later withdrawn after key witnesses failed to come forward.
“My son died near a dumping site like a dog. We have been failed by the SAPS. Every murder case has an eyewitness, but whenever cases must go to court, witnesses disappear. Something must be done to deliver justice,” she said.
Her account highlights the fear surrounding witnesses in Reiger Park. Families say people who see or hear about killings often refuse to cooperate because they fear gang retaliation or believe police officers may not be able to protect them.
Threats Before Leonardo’s Murder
Anne Varrie is still looking for answers about the murder of her 31-year-old son, Leonardo Varrie, on January 24.
She said Leonardo had been threatened for years after allegedly being accused of belonging to the Sour Boys, a gang regarded as a rival of the Vatos Locos.
“He was recruited to join the Vatos Locos, and he refused. For three years, his life was hell. He was threatened day and night,” Varrie said.
She said Leonardo often complained about being threatened while walking home from work and received intimidating messages on his cellphone.
“One of the messages from the Vatos Locos was that his head was going to explode,” she said.
Varrie said her son refused to open a case at Reiger Park police station because he believed some officers were colluding with gang members.
That allegation has not been proved. It is one of several complaints that the Hawks may have to assess if evidence is provided.
On January 24, Leonardo was accompanying a neighbour to a local shop when he was ambushed and shot several times in his upper body.
His friend, who was with him, later left the area because he feared for his life as an eyewitness, Varrie said.
Staring at three framed photographs of her son, she said she was still haunted by the absence of answers.
“Why was he murdered? Will he receive justice? Will this bloody war end? I ask myself day and night,” Varrie said.
The arrests in the August case have given her some hope, but she wants older cases to be reopened.
“We plead with the Hawks to resuscitate all the cases,” she said.
She added that police officers found to have helped gang members or failed to assist victims should also be held accountable.
“If, during their investigations, they establish that some officers were linked somehow or failed to assist us, they, too, must join our children’s killers in jail,” Varrie said.
Husband Died Behind The Wheel
Lesley-Anne Slava said her 37-year-old husband, Dustin Slava, was with well-known alleged drug dealer Noel “Gum” Samuels when they were attacked on April 11.
The pair were allegedly inside Dustin’s vehicle when gunmen opened fire.
Slava said Dustin was shot in the head but tried to reverse the vehicle before losing strength and dying behind the wheel.
She believes he was trying to reach his mother’s nearby home.
“He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was with his friends when Samuels arrived, asking my husband to drive him to his home to fetch money. As a sweet person, he agreed, not knowing that danger was lurking,” she said.
Slava said she had received no meaningful feedback from investigators since her husband’s death.
“Ever since his death, I have never received any feedback from the police,” she said.
She said video footage of the shooting had been dismissed by the investigating officer as too dark to be useful.
“I don’t trust the police anymore. Witnesses are afraid to come forward because they, too, fear that officers in the area work with well-known gangsters and Slava’s alleged murderers,” she said.
The allegations about police collusion have not been established. But they reflect the depth of the distrust among families who say they are left without updates after their loved ones are killed.
Older Case Withdrawn
Community leader Debbie Boards said she would continue campaigning for justice for her 42-year-old nephew, Lincoln Kok, who was murdered on November 4, 2023.
Boards said police arrested Tyrique Jacobs in connection with the killing, but the case was withdrawn three years later after witnesses either refused to cooperate or disappeared.
“The court heard that two eyewitnesses have disappeared and were uncooperative. One even left the witness protection programme,” Boards said.
Boards, who is also a member of the Community Patrolling Forum, has been bringing grieving families together to demand action.
She warned that the lack of convictions could push families towards taking revenge.
“If gang members can be sentenced for murder, these killings will permanently end. We fear a situation where some families would seek revenge,” Boards said.
Her warning comes as residents describe a temporary lull in shootings following the arrests in the August case. Families remain concerned that the violence could return if the gang structures and weapons behind the killings are not disrupted.
Hawks Asked To Rebuild Trust
Mogale said the Hawks would assess allegations involving law-enforcement officials through the appropriate channels and continue pursuing matters where enough evidence existed to support further investigation and prosecution.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said the investigations into the murders of Donell Van Wyk, Leonardo Varrie, Dustin Slava and Noel Samuels were continuing. No arrests had been made in those cases at the time of the update.
She advised complainants who were dissatisfied with an investigation to lodge a formal complaint with SAPS.
“Regarding the dissatisfaction expressed by the complainant concerning the investigation, kindly advise them to lodge a formal complaint with SAPS,” Sibeko said.
For the families, a formal complaint is only one part of what they want. They want regular updates, witness protection, visible action against gangs and answers about why cases were withdrawn or left unresolved.
They also want investigators to examine whether police negligence, corruption or collusion played any role in the failure of cases to progress.
The Hawks’ decision to examine additional matters could provide a new route for families who believe their cases were overlooked. But investigations will depend on evidence, witnesses and the ability of authorities to protect those prepared to speak.
Reiger Park’s death toll is now a measure of both the gang violence affecting the community and the number of families still waiting for justice.
The August 7 murders brought national attention to the area after two Anti-Gang Unit officers were killed alongside two civilians. The renewed focus has also reopened painful questions about earlier victims whose cases never reached trial.
For the families of Donell, Leonardo, Dustin and Lincoln, justice is not simply about arrests. It is about discovering who ordered the killings, protecting witnesses and ensuring that the cases do not disappear from the system.
Until that happens, families say they will continue to mourn loved ones while fearing that another household could soon face the same loss.
