The City’s Safety and Security chief, JP Smith, has condemned the Athlone Magistrates Court’s decision to release suspects facing charges for the unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
The three men were found with four AK47 firearms, a 9mm pistol and over 350 rounds of ammunition while driving around in Nyanga in July.
“Officers were on patrol in Crossroads when members of the public alerted them to a suspicious vehicle in the area. They located the Ford Ranger, and after pulling over the driver, they discovered four rifles, a 9mm pistol and ammunition in the vehicle,” said Smith in a statement on 29 July.
Smith said he was informed on Tuesday that the court released the suspects on bail of R5,000 each, with their case postponed to January next year.
He noted that he was shocked that the court would do so, considering the charges and especially when considering the past deadly weekend in Cape Town – due to gun violence.
“It is incomprehensible that, after a weekend where more than 30 people were killed in mass shooting incidents, most likely involving illegal firearms, the court can make this decision. Had it not been for proactive policing by the LEAP officers, these weapons could have cost many lives, similar to Lwandle,” said Smith.
Community groups on social media have, in the days since the incidents in Lwandle, Khayelitsha and Joe Slovo Park, shared reports of several other shooting incidents in the Cape Flats. Police in Wynberg are currently investigating a drive-by shooting on Main Road on Tuesday, in which two men were killed, and one other was wounded.
“According to reports, the victims were sitting inside a taxi when a red motorbike with two males wearing helmets stopped to them. One of the males alighted and started shooting at the taxi occupants, fatally wounding two males aged 43 and 46. A 30-year-old male was rushed to a medical facility for treatment,” said Western Cape SAPS spokesperson, Constable Ndakhe Gwala.
Smith said “the actions by the court must be condemned in the strongest terms” and hopes that the police’s investigation uncovers the source of the firearms in the Nyanga matter.
“We will never win this war if the criminal justice system continues to allow criminals to walk free on our streets.”
