A man handed himself over to the police for the murder of Haafith Umar Majiet and Haafith Tawfeeq Cummings, who were gunned down in Hanover Park on Wednesday.
Also read: WC High Court clears City law enforcement officer of murder charges
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg says an adult male person of interest was taken in for questioning. ‘We are determining whether he was involved in or played any role in the double murder. Should he be positively linked, he will appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s court facing charges relating to the double murder.’
The deaths of 25-year-old Majiet and 23-year-old Cummings sparked an outcry among local residents. In a public meeting, community leader Moulana Tohaa Rodrigues said the public would have marched to him. ‘We heard he was not the only one who did this; there were two with him. Their names will come up and be handed over to the authorities for thorough investigation.’
‘I sent a strong message so that the perpetrator and the gang to which he belongs could see it and so he could come forward and give himself up because if I hadn’t there would have been consequences.’
Rodrigues told IOL that the motive for the shooting was suspected to be robbery. ‘They robbed the individuals of about R20000. I don’t know the reason for the shooting; maybe the perpetrator was afraid he would be identified. The suspect was identified after the shooting because there were many CCTV cameras around the scene.’
The meeting was held to inform the community of progress made since residents protested against crime in the area. ‘We have not had a single gang shooting in three weeks; all the gunshots heard were just from attention-seekers. We praise God that has not happened. We are asking gangsters to leave our area.’
‘Those who are conducting criminal activities in rental stock will have to be thrown out, and if they have private homes their water and electricity should be cut off. They shouldn’t have any services from the City. We want to work with the law enforcement agencies on this.’
According to councillor Antonio van der Rheede, the latest incident adds to the community’s anger and disappointment with the Philippi SAPS, who are responsible for the area. ‘Our community has taken a stance and [is] expecting SAPS to do their work and must be held accountable. My condolences go out to the families who lost their young, beautiful children.’
‘I am hoping the SAPS will act on this. I am going to exercise my oversight and will engage the ministry and add the City resources. This incident has further perpetuated the stereotype that people have of Hanover Park because you don’t hear about the beauty, just the negative.’
Also read:
Gang-related child murders are a great concern in the Western Cape
Picture: Pexels