Around 549 shots were fired during the funeral of a suspected gang member in Nyanga last week as a final tribute from his gang peers.
Also read: Two people are killed in gang violence in the Western Cape every day
Dumisani Qwebe, Chairperson of the Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF), stated that the deceased, known as ‘Magwala’, had attracted the attention of rival gangs due to his criminal activities against them and local communities.
‘He was a very troublesome man. Magwala had his fair share of run-ins with the law and wouldn’t care who he hurt in the process. Some people respected him, and many others feared him because he was ruthless,’ Qwebe said.
According to News24, Magwala died in a rain of bullets, allegedly by rival gang members.
He was buried at a cemetery on the corner of Sithathu Avenue and Mahobe Drive. News24 also reported a large turnout of residents to witness the departure of the ‘man who terrorised us’.
During the funeral and ‘after tears’ gathering, approximately 549 shots were fired into the air by gang members as a symbolic ‘final goodbye’ to their fallen comrade. ‘People were scared,’ says Qwebe.
‘We were having a meeting at the Nyanga police station when calls started coming in from residents asking for the police to deploy vehicles to the scene.’
According to JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s Mayco member for safety and security, more than 500 shots were recorded via the City’s ShotSpotter detection system in Nyanga last weekend.
‘It is our understanding that these shooting incidents were linked to a funeral taking place in the area at the time. This was out of step with trends in Nyanga to date. Approximately 80% of the 589 rounds fired were clustered in two areas just a few hundred metres apart.’
He told News24 that gunshot detection is becoming more prevalent in some communities, adding that the City is calling on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to clamp down on ‘these funeral shootings’.
He stated that the number of shots fired in Nyanga over the weekend was unusual compared to typical trends in the area. ‘The gunshot detection technology is a vital tool in the fight against crime, as many gunshots go unreported, leaving SAPS with an inaccurate picture of gun violence in an area.’
‘The City contracted the technology from a service provider and made this directly available to SAPS [to] ensure they are instantly informed of the exact location of shooting incidents within the technology footprint and [can] respond,’ he added.
Conversely, Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie, provincial spokesperson for the SAPS, says the City and the police have a ‘good working relationship’ aimed at combating the prevalence of illegal firearms that threaten the safety and well-being of residents.
Between January and February this year, the following data was captured via ShotSpotter:
- Nyanga: 129 alerts, 272 rounds fired. Peak hours were between 8pm and 10pm.
- Lavender Hill: 72 alerts, 175 rounds fired. Peak hours were between 7pm and 9pm.
- Hanover Park: 159 alerts, 457 rounds fired. Peak hours were between 9pm and 11pm.
- Manenberg: 137 alerts, 241 rounds fired. Peak hours were between 10pm and 1am. The highest number of incidents were recorded on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
‘There have been successes linked to the technology. However, more importantly, the technology provides crucial data that helps pinpoint areas of concern and guide deployment patterns,’ says Smith.
‘It can help ensure a more accurate response and improved response times; and assists with evidence gathering based on the number of shots detected.’
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