Five people are dead and three others have been wounded after gunmen stormed a gathering at a home in Lavender Hill, prompting a police manhunt amid renewed concern over gang violence in Cape Town’s southern suburbs.
The shooting took place at around 20:00 on Saturday, 24 October, at a house in Blode Street. According to police, the attackers forced their way into the gathering before opening fire.
Four men and a woman, aged between 21 and 33, were killed. The three survivors, a man and two women, were taken to a medical facility for treatment.
The motive remains unknown, although police suspect the attack may be gang-related. No arrests had been reported at the time of the police statement, as per the Daily Voice.
Anti-Gang Unit hunts for suspects
Detectives from the South African Police Service’s Anti-Gang Unit are searching for the people responsible for the deadly attack.
Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed that investigators were working to track down the gunmen, while police officers remained on high alert in the area as the investigation continued.
The shooting adds to a series of deadly incidents reported in Lavender Hill and surrounding communities, where suspected gang violence continues to claim lives.
Fresh violence adds to concern in Cape Town’s southern suburbs
The latest attack comes amid other fatal shootings in the area.
In a separate incident in Lavender Hill on 6 October, two men were killed and another person wounded in a shooting at Muir Court on Depsiton Crescent. Police opened a double murder and attempted murder investigation, with the motive believed to be gang-related.
Another shooting was reported in Military Road, Steenberg, on 30 October, where two men, aged 23 and 37, were killed at around 12:30.
Police subsequently arrested five suspects, aged between 27 and 40, following an operation. Two assault rifles were recovered.
According to police, the suspects allegedly fled in a red Volkswagen Polo before abandoning it in Kirstenhof and hijacking a Toyota RunX. Officers later apprehended them.
Western Cape minister calls for tougher action against gangs
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais condemned the violence, saying residents should not have to live in fear of deadly attacks.
Marais called on SAPS to strengthen intelligence-led operations against known gang groups, target their leadership and dismantle the networks responsible for supplying illegal firearms and ammunition.
She stressed that cutting off access to weapons was essential to preventing further bloodshed.
The latest Lavender Hill shooting has once again brought the impact of gun violence on local communities into focus. With five people dead and three injured, detectives now face the task of identifying those responsible and establishing what led to the attack.
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