The Khayelitsha Community Policing Forum said residents in the township have become numb to the violence.
Known as the largest and fastest-growing township in Cape Town, the area has become synonymous with mass shootings.
On Saturday, in Site C, gunmen descended on a barber shop, killing 4 people. Among the dead are three children, aged 4, 11 and 12 years old. Three other children were wounded in the incident.
READ MORE: Deadly barbershop shooting in Khayelitsha
Police have yet to apprehend the suspects.
According to Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen, suspects have been taken in for questioning and a vehicle used in the crime’s commission was retrieved.
Furthermore, the local CPF’s chairperson Monde Bambelo said residents have become desensitized due to the high levels of violent crime.
“The community is no longer scared. Instead, they want to see what is happening and we find that it is abnormal for any community. Young children want to see what is happening. They are exposed to violence to a point where our kids get hit or witness a murder that has taken place in front of them,” said Bambelo.
ONGOING SHOOTINGS
Additionally on Friday, two people were killed in Site C, and in Nyanga another four victims were gunned down on Sunday night.
Back in April, eight people were also murdered in a mass shooting in Khayelitsha.
Meanwhile, Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has added his voice to calls for arrests to be effected.
“This brazen and ruthless mass shooting was well-organised, well-armed and undertaken by criminals who at this stage, do not fear the police. This situation must change by ensuring arrests and convictions. I call on the SAPS to spare no resource in making arrests. There simply must be valuable information within the community on how to trace these gangsters and ensure justice for the young lives lost so tragically,” said Hill-Lewis.
Furthermore, Eskom also released a statement confirming that it has temporarily suspended services in the eNdlovini township in Khayelitsha. The decision was made after the power utility’s team came under attack by armed suspects, on Sunday. The officials managed to get away, however their vehicle was damaged in the attack. Harare Police officials are investigating the matter with no arrests at this stage.
The power utility said this will cause delays in service delivery which may lead to extended periods without electricity for residents in the area.
