A manhunt is underway for four men believed to be involved in a triple murder in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday night, which claimed the life of a nine-year-old.
Police confirmed that the boy, as well as a woman and a man in their 20s, were gunned down at a premises in Viscount Street in Rocklands. Two other men, 51 and 36, were wounded and rushed to the hospital.
Police spokesperson, Andre Traut, said the incident occurred shortly after 20:00, when the unidentified gunmen allegedly opened fire outside a property before storming inside and shooting the occupants. It is suspected that the incident is gang-related.
“Detectives from the Anti-Gang Unit have been assigned to the investigation and are pursuing several promising leads to track down the perpetrators responsible for this heinous crime,” said Traut.
The spokesperson for the Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF), Linda Jones, said the shooting took place at a house long associated with gang activity and previous murders.
A police report from August 2025 notes that two men were gunned down in an apparent drive-by shooting on the same road on the evening of 14 August. Western Cape police spokesperson, Wesley Twigg, noted at the time that this incident was also gang-related.
“This house should have been closed down long ago. So many killings took place in that house. Number 10 Viscount. Too many killings. And now again, three at once. This is tragic. This should not be tolerated,” said Jones.
Jones said the community was devastated that the life of another young child had been cut short.
But she added that getting justice in such cases is often hampered by residents being too afraid to speak up against the perpetrators, because “these gangsters has placed fear in our community”.
“Our community is so fearful that they refuse to speak out against these thugs. And they know it. And because they know it, they just go ahead and kill as they please.”
Furthermore, she appealed to government leaders, including ministers and the President, to intervene decisively, saying Mitchells Plain could no longer endure the “pain, the hurt, the grief”.
“Come and observe the pain that these gangsters are causing in our community. Come and step into the shoes of one of these families that is currently crying, who are hurt, who doesn’t know where to turn to, who doesn’t even receive proper counselling.”
Meanwhile, the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile, issued a stern warning to the perpetrators on Tuesday night’s shooting, saying that the “cowardly and senseless act” would not be tolerated.
“We will not allow criminals to hold our communities hostage through fear and violence. Your days of terror are numbered. We are coming, and we will ensure you face the full might of the law,” said Patekile.
Residents with tip-offs or any information that could assist the investigation are urged to contact police anonymously via Crime Stop (08600 10111) or the MySAPS app.
ALSO READ: Crime Stats: City ready to immediately help increase conviction rates – Smile 90.4FM
