Western Cape Serious and Violent Crimes (SVC) detectives are investigating a mass shooting incident that took place over the weekend in Khayelitsha.
Also read: SANDF and Correctional Services officials implicated in gun theft
At around 7:50pm on Saturday evening, the sound of multiple gunshots being fired by unknown suspects rang in the air, leaving the bodies of four men aged between 30 and 40 laying metres apart in Albertina Sisulu Drive, Makhaya.
‘Two other men were also injured during the same incident and are being treated in hospital,’ said police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut. ‘The suspects fled the scene and are being pursued by police.’
The motive for the incident is unclear at this stage.
According to one of the residents who, upon hearing what sounded like fireworks, came outside to see what had happened, the area is generally quiet and the incident has shocked the community.
‘I thought we heard fireworks when the shots went off and we went to check out what happened,’ IOL quoted the resident as saying. ‘We found out that one of the victims was a married man and a father, the other was a soccer player for a local team.’
According to the publication, it is believed that the victims were not involved in criminal activities.
In a statement, DA Western Cape spokesperson on community safety Gillion Bosman said the weekend’s mass shooting in Khayelitsha ‘has dashed any hopes for a lessening of violence in 2024’ and attributed the incident to inefficacy from SAPS crime intelligence to prevent these mass casualty events.
Bosman also argued that SAPS has decimated its own capacity in the Western Cape over the past five years.
‘Continuous under resourcing has resulted in a situation in which the SAPS faces a staff shortfall of nearly 5 000 members in the province,’ said Bosman.
‘77% of SAPS precincts in the Western Cape do not have enough staff, and recent staffing allocations to the Western Cape by national government have been insultingly low.’
Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MY SAPS mobile app.
Also read:
City’s enforcement training enhanced with the newest firearm simulator
Picture: JP Smith / Facebook