Six teenagers are due in court soon after they were arrested on Thursday, 8 January, for allegedly stoning a vehicle on the N2 near Cape Town International Airport earlier this week.

According to the police, the incident happened on the N2 opposite the logistics company DSV’s premises on Tuesday.

Captain FC van Wyk says a resident of Stellenbosch had visitors from Wales, and the resident was on the way to drop them off at the airport, when the vehicle they were travelling in was stoned.

The matter was then reported to SAPS at Cape Town International Airport.

The incident was captured on CCTV, and Nyanga SAPS was informed about the incident.

In the footage, six young boys could be seen stoning the car. SAPS members were tasked to look for the suspects in Crossroads.

Yesterday morning, Nyanga SAPS members managed to arrest all six boys, who are all aged 14.

They were still dressed in the same clothes in which the crime was committed.

Crime incidents along the Airport corridor, the so-called ‘hell-run’, have long been a concern.

Also on Thursday, Cape Town Traffic Officers arrested a suspect for attempted hijacking and attempted robbery near the N2.

A motorist stopped a traffic officer on the N2 and advised that she had been threatened at gunpoint by an unknown suspect on the Airport Approach slip road onto the N2 outbound.

Officers responded to the location, and on arrival, saw a suspect running on foot towards Montana, and scaling a wall.

They gave chase and tracked down the suspect and he was detained at Bishop Lavis SAPS.

Law enforcement was recently boosted along the N2, R300 and Jakes Gerwel Drive, but officials emphasise officers can’t patrol every single area of concern at all times.

Further details are also set to be released later this year about the City of Cape Town’s proposed R180 million project to build a physical barrier along sections of the N2 highway, to combat violent crimes like smash-and-grabs, stone-throwing, and robberies.

The dangers of travelling on certain routes to and from the airport came under scrutiny in early December, when former teacher Karin van Aardt was brutally killed by an assailant on Jakes Gerwel Drive in a smash-and-grab incident.

Three accused in the case withdrew their bail application, and they will be back in court on 26 February.

The Animal Anti-Cruelty League Cape Town (AACL-CT) has suspended all mobile clinic operations until further notice following a tragic shooting at one of its facilities in Ravensmead on Wednesday, which left a man dead and a 12-year-old child injured.

The victims were waiting at the mobile clinic for care for their dog when the incident occurred. The male client was fatally shot inside the mobile unit, while the child sustained gunshot wounds to the shoulder and leg and was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

AACL-CT expressed its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

“No one should ever lose their life while trying to care for a beloved pet.”

Dr Leandré, Principal Veterinarian at AACL-CT, highlighted the toll the incident has taken on staff.

“Our staff are the backbone of our organisation. They were forced to face the ultimate horror and then had to literally clean up the aftermath of a tragedy in the very space where they usually save lives. They are heroes, but they are also grieving and traumatised. Their mental well-being is our top priority.”

The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that a case of murder and attempted murder is under investigation.

“Ravensmead police registered a murder and attempted murder case following a shooting incident on Wednesday, on an open field at Edgar Block Street, Ravensmead, in which a 25 year old male was shot and fatally wounded and a 12 year old boy injured.”

The motive for the attack remains unknown, and investigations are ongoing.

The alarm has been raised in Knysna as the Garden Route town is facing a possible Day Zero scenario, as residents have been subjected to Level 4 water restrictions.

It comes after the Knysna Municipality on Thursday announced that the current water supply provides an estimated buffer of 13 days should no additional inflows enter the system. This estimate is based on the Akkerkloof Dam’s current level of less than 20%.

The Glebe Dam is currently 70% full and can provide an additional buffer should there be no rainfall in the catchments of the Knysna and Gouna rivers.

The 13-day estimate also does not yet take into account other water sources that can be accessed or additional operational adjustments that can be made to the water supply system.

Alternative water sources, including boreholes and springs, have been identified and are in the process of being connected to the municipal water supply network.

The Western Cape Government says in extreme circumstances, water supply may be throttled in certain zones.

The municipality will also install water tanks in higher-lying areas where water pressure may drop.

The Garden Route District Municipality and the Department of Local Government have potable water tankers on standby to respond in the event of an emergency. The failure of water infrastructure has only exacerbated the issues experienced in Knysna.

Residents are urged to conserve water as much as possible.

Water security is also a concern for other municipalities, particularly Langeberg and Bitou.

Langeberg Municipality’s Dassieshoek Dam is currently at 2%, and the Kooskok Dam is at 9%. In response, the municipality has upgraded its pump station to increase abstraction from a channel fed by the Brandvlei Dam.

Bitou Municipality is experiencing very limited inflow from its main water source.

As a result, the municipality has activated its desalination plant, while the Department of Local Government is exploring the feasibility of adding two boreholes to the municipal water supply system.

MEC Anton Bredell says that in all the affected municipalities, it is critically important that residents and visitors adhere to the current water restrictions in place:

“The province, together with the National Department of Water and Sanitation, will continue to support these municipalities to ensure water security in the immediate future.”

The City of Cape Town has also reiterated its call on residents, businessess and visitors to save water as dam levels have dropped further.

Water usage spiked to 1 048 million litres per day this week, well above the target of less than 975 million litres per day.

Dam levels are about 20% lower than the same time last year.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, says this is a critical time:

“While taps are not at risk of running dry at this stage, continued high water use could rapidly change the situation and result in restrictions unless consumption is brought down urgently.”

Recent trends published in the City’s weekly water dashboard show excessive average daily water use by Capetonians as a collective:

• 10 December 2025 – 1 029 MLD
• 15 December 2025 – 1029 MLD
• 22 December 2025 – 1039 MLD
• 29 December 2025 – 1010 MLD
• 5 January 2026 – 1048 MLD

For additional resources and water-saving tips, visit www.capetown.gov.za/savewater

A woman, identified as American citizen Renee Nicole Good, was shot and killed during a large-scale federal immigration operation in Minneapolis, triggering widespread outrage, protests, and urgent calls from city leaders for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to leave the city.

The shooting occurred early Wednesday morning near 33rd Street and Portland Avenue, amid what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as its “largest immigration operation ever” in the Twin Cities.

More than 2,000 ICE agents were reportedly deployed across the metro area as part of a sweeping crackdown that quickly escalated into chaos.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz confirmed the incident was ICE-related, saying state authorities are seeking full clarity on the circumstances surrounding the use of lethal force.

Within minutes of the shooting, the neighbourhood was heavily secured, with large numbers of federal agents, Minneapolis police, armoured vehicles and chemical agents deployed as protesters gathered. Witnesses described the scene as resembling a military operation rather than a law enforcement action.

Witness Accounts Describe Point-Blank Shooting

Emily Heller, a witness, told MPR News she saw a federal agent shoot a woman multiple times at close range as the woman sat inside her vehicle.

According to Heller, agents were shouting at the woman to leave as she attempted to turn her car around. She said one agent pressed himself against the hood of the vehicle, reached across it and fired “three or four times” into the woman’s face. The vehicle then accelerated and crashed into a utility pole nearby.

A burgundy car with a bullet hole through the windshield was seen heavily damaged at the scene.

State Senator Omar Fateh said federal agents prevented a doctor from providing emergency CPR to the victim, a claim that has intensified public anger. Video footage circulating online shows first responders attempting resuscitation as protesters chant anti-ICE slogans nearby.

City Leaders Condemn Federal Presence

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the operation and called for ICE to immediately leave the city.

“The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” Frey said. “This is not making us safer. It is tearing at the fabric of our community and putting lives at risk.”

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced her office is pushing for a full local investigation into the use of force, stressing that transparency and accountability are essential.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, whose department does not participate in immigration enforcement, had warned in recent days that federal actions could lead to tragedy. Following the shooting, he said his concerns had been realised.

DHS Defends Agent’s Actions

The Department of Homeland Security released a statement defending the shooting, claiming the woman had “weaponised her vehicle” and attempted to run over ICE officers.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” the statement read. “The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased. Thankfully, the ICE officers who were hurt are expected to make full recoveries.”

DHS further blamed what it called “sanctuary politicians” for an alleged increase in assaults and threats against federal officers.

However, activists and community members dispute the department’s version of events.

Video footage circulating online appears to show the agent positioned to the side of the vehicle, raising questions about claims that he was in immediate danger of being run over. Critics note that ICE previously made similar claims in a Chicago incident that were later contradicted by video evidence.