Several shooting incidents have claimed several lives and left many more injured in the Cape Flats this past weekend.
The incident with the largest number of victims occurred in Lotus River, which claimed a man’s life and left others wounded.
Five men came under fire in Nita Street on Sunday morning, with a 32-year-old man declared dead on the scene. The other victims, who sustained wounds to their bodies, were between the ages of 18 and 42.
The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. Police are also trying to establish the motive for the mass shooting.
“Murder and attempted murder cases were registered for investigation. Meanwhile additional SAPS deployments, Law Enforcement and Metro Police are in the in Grassy Park policing precinct conducting crime prevention initiatives to combat gang related incidents,” said Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Wesley Twigg.
Meanwhile, police suspect the gangs were involved in the murder of a 19-year-old male in Lavender Hill on Saturday.
Police say the victim was gunned down in Aspeling Court that day. The suspects fled the scene, and no arrests have been made since.
“Police members attended to the crime scene where they found the victim with gunshot wounds to his body. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The motive for the attack is believed to be gang related,” said Twigg.
On the same day, Muizenberg police also registered a murder for further investigation, after another suspected gang shooting claimed the life of a 34-year-old man on Rasta Road in Overcome Heights.
“Police members attended to the crime scene where they found the victim with gunshot wounds to his head and neck,” noted Twigg.
Another suspected gang incident claimed the life of a 50-year-old man in Tafelsig in Mitchells Plain on Friday. Also that day, on Platteklip Street, a man was shot and wounded.
Then on Sunday, in another part of Mitchells Plain, in Beacon Valley, a 70-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound in her stomach while on Tennis Street. The circumstances of the incident are not known at this stage.
Later that day, at 20:45 in Eastridge, a 32-year-old man was shot and killed on Palestrina Street. A 25-year-old man was wounded. This incident is believed to be another gang-related attack.
“The motive for the attack is believed to be gang related. The suspect/s fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. Mitchell’s Plain detectives are investigating murder and attempted murder cases,” confirmed Twigg.
Twigg continues to urge witnesses or anyone with information to report what they may know to the police.
Meanwhile, Abie Isaacs of the Cape Flats Safety Forum has reiterated his call for increased interventions in areas riddled with gun violence.
“Yet again, there seems to be no political will to deal with what we call ‘urban terror’ on the Cape Flats. We call on the authorities to come up with a comprehensive strategy and plan, so that we can deal with this urban terror that’s been plauging the Cape Flats for the past couple weeks, months and years,” said Isaacs.
*This article has been edited to include additional comments and additional confirmed police reports of shooting incidents.
