Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Thembisile Patekile said that deployments were enhanced at identified hotspots in response to shootings in Cape Town. Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Newspapers
EXTORTION and gang related violence have been cited as being behind a bloody weekend in Cape Town with at least nine people killed.
In one incident, a 54 year old man was shot and killed while attending his murdered son’s funeral. Shortly after, the shooter was beaten to death by community members in Ravensmead.
In Philippi East, armed suspects shot five men in their vehicle and set them alight.
Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Thembisile Patekile said that deployments were enhanced at identified hotspots in response to the shootings.
SAPS spokesperson, F.C Van Wyk confirmed Ravensmead police were investigating two murder cases after a shooting on Saturday morning at Beverly Court.
“A 54-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded by a 26-year-old man. The alleged shooter was beaten to death at the scene of the incident. The motive is believed to be gang related.
“According to reports the deceased attended his son’s funeral at the mentioned address when the suspect shot and fatally wounded him with a gunshot wound to the back of the head. The suspect then ran away but was chased and apprehended by the community who attended the funeral, he was beaten to death,” Van Wyk said.
Grassy Park police are also investigating a murder and four attempted murder cases after a shooting at Dove Road, Parkwood on Friday. A 52-year-old man was killed.
Van Wyk said the injured victims were transported to a medical facility for treatment.
“According to reports, SAPS members attended a shooting incident at the mentioned address and discovered that five persons were shot and three already taken to hospitals. It's alleged that a Grey Polo vehicle (was at the scene) and a male person started shooting randomly at the victims. The motive is believed to be gang related.”
On Thursday evening, a 42-year-old man died in a drive-by shooting.
“Grassy Park police are investigating a murder case. The motive is believed to be gang related,” Van Wyk said.
In Philippi East, crime fighters made a clarion call to tackle extortion syndicates amid the horrific murder of five men who were shot and set alight.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said crime scene experts of the Provincial Serious Violent Crime investigators were called to the scene.
"Reports from the scene indicate that the deceased were in a vehicle in the Better Life area when four armed suspects emerged and shot the occupants of the vehicle. The suspects subsequently set the occupants alight. The identities of the deceased persons are yet to be determined with investigators hard at work collecting evidence. The ages of the deceased persons are estimated to be between 20 and 30. The motive for the incident is the subject of the police investigation that is currently underway."
Martin Makasi, chairperson of the Nyanga District Community Police Forum, said residents believe the incident was sparked by deadly clashes between various extortion syndicates operating in the area.
"The information we received is that this incident is linked to the ongoing fights between the groupings in Marcus Garvey informal Settlement and the Better Life Settlement. The syndicates are clashing over the collection of protection fees which they claim from spaza shops, taxis and other businesses. The trouble started when the leaders of the group known as the Two Cs were killed and now you have all these boys running around wreaking havoc. The brutal manner in which they commit these murders shows you they do not fear being caught."
Grassy Park CPF spokesperson, Howard Downs, said the community is in fear of reprisal attacks.
“Gang violence is something that we can’t predict, but there is a trend in the way that when one grouping is shot, we expect reprisal attacks. This has been ongoing in the area currently where gangsters have been shooting at each other. When will it stop, we don’t know, but we will continue monitoring the areas and doing our visible patrols.”
Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais also condemned the killings.
Cape Times