This weekend has been a dark one for the people of Hout-bay especially the people of Hangberg as first 2 policemen aged 26 and 27 were shot dead in Imizamo Yethu on Friday evening and then on Saturday a pleasure boat capsized near Duiker Island which resulted in the lost on 2 lives and 34 people being rescued from the icy sea, according to unconfirmed reports the engine of the boat seized and a waved rolled the boat over, the suicide of a young girl of Hangberg addicted to drugs earlier in the week  area went by unnoticed.

This is probably the 2^nd biggest sea disaster in Hout-bay in the last 6 years since 5 fishermen lost their lives in March 2006 when a wave capsized their newly refurbished crayfish trawler.  The killing of the 2 police constables were probably the biggest shock of all, everyday we read in the newspaper and we hear on tv of police personnel who have been killed in the line of duty but you don’t expect it to happen in your own backyard.

The response of the community has been great and a lot of people are outraged about the shooting of the cops during the course of their duty.  The police in Hout-bay are severely traumatized by needles shooting of their colloquies who were on patrol in Imizamo Yethu when they were shot at close range.

The capsizing of the pleasure boat has thrown out a lot of questions about the safety of the passengers on the boat and the involvement of poachers in the rescue, it is rumoured that the death crewmen gave his lifejacket to a child on the boat, truly a wonderful jester as would be expected from a fishermen.  This may have been the first time that a pleasure from Hout-bay has sunk.  Poaching is an evil that needs to be eradicated, but on Saturday they were at the right place at the right time and many lives were saved due to their quick thinking and willingness to assist.

Drug abuse among teenagers is rife in the Hangberg area and the kids can’t seem to get out of it as peer pressure is forcing them to do this evil if they want to be part of a friend circle and feel excepted, girls as young as 12-13 are caught up in drugs and spent late nights outside their homes on the street getting high on drugs and getting drunk.

It has been a sad week for the people of Hout-Bay Hangberg community and it was wonderful to see the people in the community pull together and supporting the families of the bereaved.

I am reminded of the bible verse ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me”, the power of God will indeed be seen in the people who are affected by this tragedy.