A drive-by shooting in Manenberg has claimed the lives of two people earlier today, leaving residents disheartened by the ongoing shootings in and around the area.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says a 34-year-old man was gunned down while standing at a local tuck shop in Tousberg Road when he was riddled with bullets. Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk says the victim died on the scene.

“According to reports, the male was standing at a tuck shop when a silver VW Polo drove towards him and stopped. Four armed suspects alighted the vehicle and randomly fired several shots at the victim, hitting him multiple times in the upper body.”

Van Wyk added that another person was fatally shot by the assailants during their attempt to flee the scene.

“While fleeing the scene, they approached a 27-year-old male on a bicycle at the corner of Tousberg and Sugarloaf Road and shot at him, and as he fell to the ground, they got out of their vehicle, walked up to him, and fired several gunshots at him, fatally wounding him.”

Vanessa Adriaanse, deputy chairperson of the Manenberg Community Police Forum (CPF), has expressed that the shooting comes on the heels of children enjoying their Easter school break, who are now forced to stay indoors due to these senseless murders.

“It is so sad that these incidents are happening during the school holidays. What are they gaining by keeping the children hostage in their own communities?”

Adriaanse says children are so desperate for some reprieve that they are celebrating the fact the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) will be deployed to help quell violence.

“It is so sad that these children are happy about the deployment. They think it is something to look forward to; they can’t wait for violence to end, and this is not normal. They don’t understand that the deployment is an extreme measure to fight crime, but to them it seems like the only way out.”

 

Manenberg police have since registered two counts of murder. Anyone with information can contact Manenberg SAPS 021 699 9400 or Crime Stop 08600 10111.