Additional police have been deployed in Mitchells Plain after nine people were shot – and three died – in what is believed to be related to ongoing gang violence in the area.
At around 7.30pm on Sunday, two unknown assailants opened fire at a group of men aged between 29 and 46 at a tavern in Stratus Street, Rocklands.
Three of the men were killed at the scene.
Western Cape police spokesperson Andrè Traut said detectives attached to the provincial serious and violent crimes unit were probing the circumstances leading to the incident.
Police believe the incident was gang related, he said.
“The injured victims were admitted to hospital for medical treatment while the suspects fled, which initiated a large-scale manhunt in the vicinity and adjacent neighbourhoods.
“In the meantime, additional operational forces have been deployed in the area to curb retaliation or any other form of violence, as gangsterism holding communities at ransom will not be allowed,” said Traut.
On the same day, at about 12pm, another person was shot and killed in the same area next to the railway line. Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie also confirmed a shooting on Saturday where a 17-year-old and another youth,18, were shot.
“It is alleged that the two were shot at by a rival gang in Gold Street in Rocklands, Mitchells Plain.
“When officers arrived at the scene, they were informed that the victims were already transported to a medical facility by private transport.
“The 17-year-old succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body while the other suffered a gunshot wound to the leg,” said Pojie.
Fear is now gripping Rocklands residents as a total of about 14 people were shot this weekend alone.
Reports indicate that the ongoing gang violence was due to the recent murder of a prominent gang boss, Mogamat Sadeka Madatt, who was killed in the community.
Cape Flats Safety Forum’s Abie Isaacs said the intervention police were now bringing, came too late.
“The community is anxious and living in fear. Enough is enough, things cannot go on this way. Police have failed and as a result we requested the deployment of the SANDF,” he said.
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen said: “A clearer picture for greater visibility and aggressive activations from SAPS cannot be painted.
“This and other violent incidents that we are experiencing are not happening haphazardly. The SAPS should ensure that their intelligence works optimally and that everything is done to prevent cases such as these.”
The province has also been engulfed with mass shootings in areas such as Nyanga and Khayelitsha.
Cape Times