Africa-Press – South-Africa. The trauma runs deep in Ocean View; a lot of people die here.”
On Wednesday 12 April, gunmen stormed a house in Neptune Lane, killing six men.
According to provincial police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa, a vehicle pulled up in front of the house at approximately 10:50, the suspects walked in and fired multiple shots.
“Five men between the ages of 20 and 50 died at the scene while a sixth person died at a medical facility.
“Detectives from the provincial anti-gang unit are investigating six counts of murder. The motive for the shooting is suspected to be gang-related with no arrests effected yet.”
Reagan Rubain, a resident who grew up in Ocean View, says residents have become desensitised to violence as it is rife in the area.
“When it happens, then it is normal. I think the sad part is that most people are over it already, life happens.
“The fact that we live here, we are families. These are our cousins and friends and I know a few of them but not personally. It is a big tragedy when an innocent life is lost, not that it’s not tragic when a gangster is killed.”
Rubain adds that no one cares about Ocean View or its people.
“There is no investment in this community, nobody cares, nothing has changed. The place has just deteriorated.
“You can go to any Cape Flats community no matter how much violence there is, there is progress like a mall being built or some kind of development, but in Ocean View there is nothing.
“There are new facilities or malls going up in Khayelitsha or Mitchell’s Plain, but you don’t hear of any funds for the development of Ocean View.”
Talking about his living conditions, Rubain claims he lives next to a drug den and that nothing is being done about drugs in the area.
“I live next to a drug den, and we see these things every day. There are a lot of violent and traumatised communities in the Cape Flats, but I think Ocean View is probably in the top two.
“Resources are limited, so it’s an uphill battle because we don’t receive help. It’s so heartbreaking.”
Mansoer Ismail, chair of the Ocean View Policing Forum (CPF), said police visibility has been stepped up since the shooting.
“All the law enforcement units are in the area.
“There have been many shootings in Ocean View but it is the first time I experienced something like this.”
He adds that police are still on the hunt for four suspects, who consisted of the driver of the vehicle and three shooters.
“The suspects fled in a vehicle. What we do know is that three of them were gang members from a different gang and not from Ocean View.”
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