Young Reece Oliphant remembered in emotional farewell

Young Reece Oliphant remembered in emotional farewell
Siya Tsewu
Sat, 03/14/2026 - 17:04























JOHANNESBURG – Mourners gathered during the emotional send-off of a Westbury teenager who was killed while walking to a friend’s house earlier this month.
Nineteen-year-old Reece Oliphant, one of two lives lost in last week’s Westbury mass shooting, has been laid to rest.
Five people were hit in the hail of bullets, including a 15-month-old toddler.
The community’s frustration only deepened when the SANDF made a brief visit, leaving more questions than answers. 
His grandmother, Roslyn Oliphant said her heart is shattered.
“I hope the people who have taken Reece away from us get punished for the thing they have done because I am sure they are just as young. This pain hits differently because he is my first love. My first grandson."
Reece’s father Mikhail said all the gang violence needs to stop.
“I don't want another father to feel the way I am feeling. Justice might be served but it can never bring our kids back. The lady that was buried yesterday, that's a mother, that was a daughter. So change is needed and justice has to be served, one way or the other people need to start feeling safe again.
"The government needs to come up with a strategy, a plan. The community needs to be engaged. They want the community to work with them, then they must work with the community as well. Involve them in these things. Let them understand the army is coming here execute one two and three."
The motive for the shooting is still unclear.