Victims were caught in Cape Town’s Crossfire

The wonderful father lies in narrow, a bed and pointed two little bullet holes on the wall of his house.

This is the more evidence of one moment breaking his family’s life forever.

The four-year-old son of Devon Africa Davin was shot dead in February, arrested at Crossfire in a shoot-out between criminals.

She was victimized by gang in gang that ruined Cape Flats, the towns around Cape Town – if the lion of apartheid, if non-white populations were moved from the rich center.

“This is the bullet hole here,” he said. “Here he is asleep.”

The family has already endured unspeakable horror.

Davin’s older sister Kelly Amber, killed two years ago, shot while opposites to one another. He was 12 years old.

Now Devon and his wife, underon, have their youngest daughter left.

“He asked me: ‘Where’s my brother?'” Says the quit. “So I told him that he was with Jesus in Daddy’s heart and my heart.”

These murders occur in an area known as Wesbank, but many other families in the Wons Cape Flats Area have to suffer similar evenings, despite the insecurities of the police on additional patrols.

The numbers tell a terrible story. The province of Western Cape – where Cape Flats are seated – often see most of the murders of the Gang in South Africa, according to police.

Officially, it is a policy priority for government. President Cyril Ramaphosa set up a special unit to prevent gang violence in 2018, he also deployed the army in the next year, but the problem continued.

“There is a whole history and generations of people born in these gangs,” says Gareth Newham, Leading of Justice and Violence Programs in Security Studies in Johannesburg.

“(They) thrive in areas that are deeply neglected or less trusted by the state. Gangs provide communities communities. Except the community fee.

The community has been inserted and “why it is very difficult for police to take care of them … it means they can use non-gang houses and weapons”.

But there are people who seek to solve the issue.

Fifteen kilometers (nine miles) away from Wesebank is Hanevover Park where Sedtor Craven Engels is near his mobile phone almost his mobile phone is nearly in his peace travel.

His mission is to settle gang conflicts to stop this violence and killings, stimulated by useful drug trade. He and his team are trying to follow a fundamental formula: Detection, interrupt and change thoughts.

“Hanovover park never has an economy to say,” Pastor Engel said. “The majority of the economy comes out of drug culture. That’s the biggest economy.”

Pastor Engel said the impact of apartheid in the area could not be forgotten but also no trauma in generation – shown as drug addiction and then family breakdown.

“The substance (medicine) creates unemployment, the substance makes robbery, it creates a futilities within the crowds within the community of the community of the community of the community of the community.

This community of about 50,000 people should suffer shootings and flow almost every day. And it’s always young people who do kill and kill.

“The policing procedure will never solve the problem because you can catch people because of gang members and shootings of young problems.

“How was a child shot seven times on his head or three times on his back? How a stray bullet hit a child?” Pastor Engel asked.

On his phone, he called to community leaders and gang kingpins, often cauded and brought violence. When BBC Africa Mee visits him he tried a stop stop between two gangs – and those who manages to reach the imprisoned leader of one of them.

“If I want something to happen then it will still happen. Do you understand the pastor?” The gang boss screamed on the line. “But I can tell you something. I’m a man who likes to fight when I’m under fire.”

Threats. Even from behind bars.

But Pastor Engel is never stopped. His community was very well seen, even in the house of a parish or before his large and strong congregation in the pulpit on a Sunday.

“I think that what makes it, it is awesome today is more children involved in gangs, because gangs recruiting between the ages of eight and 15,” he said.

The program he has launched used to remove government money, but it is dry. To cut the supply lines and protect the innocent, he will meet victims and guilty anywhere and at any time.

He also sent gang members to negotiate directly in relief factions. Those who live in life on the edge of death know how critical pushing for peace.

Glenn Hans is one of the same person. He met with rival gangs to convince them to honor a cease. “I’m also in this game. As long as you make a decision you want to be a better person. That’s all,” he told a group of gang members.

One has a chilling response: “The more we kill, the more we get, the more we can discuss peace – I cannot make a decision to ensure peace.”

The ceasefire that later agrees for just a few days, broken down to kill two people in a drive-by shooting.

But some of the conflict thickness has enough.

Fernando – O Nando – Johnston is in a gang called Mongre, and he wants to try and find a way with Pastor Engel’s help.

The pastor described Mr. Johnston young and “born in the gang” because his whole family was involved.

“In this game there are only two options – even if you go to prison or you die,” Mr. Juanston said.

“I want to change the direction and I believe there is always way. That’s why I approached the pastor – to ask him if there is a plan or way to bring me.”

He will participate in a six to 12 weeks of the pastor’s rehabilitation program and is funded by wealthy donations designed to remove people in drugs and work.

“The thing you can now start rebuilding yourself,” Pastor Engel told him. “You can get you a job and look for yourself. Then you don’t have to hustle and scavenge around here.”

“I’m ready to go, pastor,” said Mr Johnston, with his battered and elbow community to find a new path.

Those closest to him gathered to wish him well. Her mother Angeline April, stopped tears, desperate, at this time, her son would choose life. “Please just make the best of this opportunity, Nando,” he said.

“Yes mama, I always make the best in a situation.”

But that’s not easy.

“Fernando’s father was a gangster but the father of other children was a gentleman,” said Mr. Juanston’s mother.

“But because he was a gangster, the children were also involved in gangsterism despite always warned them. You know him change himself to change.”

And so far good for Mr. Juanston. Two weeks from the start of the program, he’s still there.

“Nando continued. He was in the program of acts. He was busy looking at his family, he saw his children. He repeated the house at home.” He tried to have no medicine in his system, “says Pastor Engel.

Hope is a wonderful commodity here, but sometimes it goes through the cracks of the streets that see more trauma.

Not all the streets. The very little hope is found in Devon Africa and Desean Koopman’s house, sitting in the middle of a battlefield.

The cycle of murder and revenge hit the areas faced with the edges of this beautiful South Africa town is too much to have difficulties to live.

And the strips in the middle often need to make impossible choices.

“Community members, even if they are opposed to gangs, no pro-police needed due to two reasons,” said Mr. Newham.

“The only one they don’t know the police actually come when calling. And if they call the police, they don’t think the police officers don’t understand the scale of South Africa challenge.”

Sentiments showed by peace-advocates of frontlines in this war. “No one will come from anywhere to help or save us. Not from abroad. Not from a local government to heal cape flats,” says Pastor Engel.

“As individuals we need to be determined to strengthen strength, make hope for our people and grow. Because politics has clearly failed us.”