Seven men are expected to appear in different courts on Monday, 13 April, for murders and attempted murders linked to several shooting incidents that occurred in gang hotspots on the Cape Flats in the past week.
This includes the shooting incident that left a young girl seriously wounded in Valhalla Park, Bishop Lavis, on Thursday, 9 April.
The little girl was playing in the road when two rival gangs started chasing each other and firing shots. A stray bullet hit her in the head and is still in a serious condition.
Anti-gang detectives arrested two men on Sunday, 12 April, aged 34 and 38, on charges of attempted murder.
Meanwhile, police also had success in apprehending suspects for the murder of an off-duty SANDF member in Delft on Wednesday.
Western Cape Serious Violent Crime detectives, supported by the Provincial Operational Command Centre combat team, drone unit and crime scene investigation team, arrested five suspects in Delft South and recovered the deceased victim’s firearm, magazine, bank card and cell phone.
Three suspects have been charged with murder and will appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s court on Monday. The motive for the murder is believed to be robbery.
In a separate investigation, a second suspect, aged 31, is expected to appear in court in Mitchells Plain on Monday in connection with a double murder and five attempted murders that occurred at the Hazeldene taxi rank in Portlands on Tuesday afternoon.
Three children were among those wounded.
The first suspect was arrested on Wednesday evening by the Anti-Gang Unit and has since appeared in court on Friday.
The shooting incidents are all believed to be linked to gang violence.
The Cape Crime Crisis Coalition has expressed concern that gang violence in Cape Town appears to have escalated since the deployment of the South African Defence Force in the Western Cape.
It is reported that more than 30 people have been killed in gang-related shootings since the deployment.
Chairperson Llewellyn Macmaster raised concerns that the military presence has not stopped ongoing violence in affected communities. He called for longer-term, community-driven solutions beyond military deployment.
