Durban - A packed church was petrol-bombed, a man shot dead and a 71-year-old woman hit in the arm by a stray bullet as gang war gripped Wentworth.

Religious leaders and residents believe the violence, over a 48-hour period, was sparked by the murder of a former gangster outside a Florida Road nightclub two weeks ago.
Now, in the midst of a spike in drive-by shootings and clashes between rival gangs - over the lucrative drug trade - residents of the south Durban suburb are questioning why police recently shut down a gang task force set up by the Hawks two years ago.

Two people were killed and five injured, including an 8-year-old girl, in three shooting incidents in Hanover Park on Thursday.

Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Andrè Traut said all three incidents took place on Thursday morning, hours apart from each other.
"A 23-year-old man was shot and wounded at the bus terminus in Hanover Park at 05:15 by an unknown suspect who fled the scene," Traut said.

THERE have been running gun battles in Manenberg every day for the past week – which have left a number of people injured and there have been several unconfirmed deaths.

Yesterday morning, in the busy Pecos Walk, rival gangs fired at each other, residents dived for cover and the police were quickly on the scene.

While the guns were dropped, gangsters picked up rocks and bottles, which they hurled at each other and the police.