Another fatal shooting in Kalksteenfontein, in Bishop Lavis, has claimed the lives of three people.

Four other people were injured in the incident on Soetkop Street on Thursday night, shortly after 20:00.  

Police say the victims were sitting outside, “drinking”, when a vehicle approached, and its occupants opened fire on them.

“Three armed men alighted and started shooting randomly at the group. The gunmen later fled in the vehicle. As a consequence, three men [died] aged 40, 64 and 66 died on the scene while four others were injured and taken to a medical facility for treatment,” said Potelwa.  

The Anti-Gang Unit is investigating the case, as it‘s suspected to be related to gang violence. 

“Bishop Lavis police registered three counts of murder and four attempted murders. No arrests have been effected yet but investigations into the incident continue.” 

On Tuesday, two men were gunned down in another suspected gang-related incident on the nearby Hanekam Street.  

READ MORE: Bishop Lavis CPF raises alarm over daily killings on the Cape Flats – Smile 90.4FM

Potelwa noted that police have intensified deployments to the area “in an effort to ensure that no further incidents occur”. 

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Bishop Lavis Crime Prevention Forum, Graham Lindhorst, said these incidents follow daily shootings in the area, which have reportedly been linked to clashes over drug turf. 

He said more “disruptive” policing strategies are needed to prevent further crime in the area.  

“They need to look at disruptive patrols. They need to make sure that even if it needs to, they need to go into that area, house-to-house, to smoke out the guns and the drugs and whatever is happening there. We’ve come to that stage,” said Lindhorst. 

At the same time, while welcoming the deployment of the military in areas like Bishop Lavis, Lindhorst believes that there are social challenges in the area that must be addressed. 

“[The army] cannot help to permanently deal with issues within our areas. Our problems within our areas is of a social nature. That is the intervention we need, and we call for that intervention to be brought into our communities, where the whole of government comes… and we look at what is our social ills and deal with those problems.” 

*This article has been updated to include additional information.