Police have confirmed a triple murder in Athlone, after a shooting on Tuesday night at Sunbird Court, Bridgetown.
Three people, including a 9-month-old baby, were killed, and two men were injured.
Authorities say three suspects fled the scene, and the motive is still unknown.
Detectives from the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are leading the investigation, and SAPS is urging anyone with information to contact Crime Stop or use the MySAPS app.
Provincial Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile has condemned the latest attack.
“The South African Police Service strongly condemns the senseless and brutal killing of three people, including an infant, in a shooting incident last night.”
Police responded to the scene at around 22:00, where officers found the bodies of two women aged 25 and 36, as well as the nine-month-old baby, who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Two adult males, who were also shot and injured, were transported to a medical facility for treatment.
Patekile says all available resources have been mobilised to trace and apprehend those responsible.
“SAPS unequivocally condemns violent crimes and we assure the residents of Athlone and the broader community that every effort will be made to bring the perpetrators to book and to restore safety and stability in the area.”
While the motive for these murders is still under investigation, it comes shortly after Police Minister Firoz Cachalia confirmed in Parliament yesterday that the SANDF will be deployed to gang-ridden hotspots on the Cape Flats within 10 days.
He told MP’s during the debate of the State of the Nation Address that discussions around the deployment have been held, and that troops would go in to support the police in stabilising crime-ridden provinces.
This includes several areas in the Western Cape where gangs are terrorising communities, and in Gauteng, to crack down on illegal mining.
Cachalia also announced that, at the request of President Cyril Ramaphosa, troops would also be deployed to the Eastern Cape, where violent crime is rampant.
