Africa-Press – South-Africa. Eight people have been killed in gang violence in Manenberg, Cape Town, in just three days.
There were seven shootings between Thursday and Saturday, which resulted in the deaths. An arrest has been made in connection with one of the shootings.
On Thursday morning, a 54-year-old man was killed while standing at his front gate in Towerkop Road. An unknown man on a bicycle approached the victim and fired several shots at him, said police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg.
On Thursday evening, the body of a 27-year-old man was found on the same road. He was shot in the head and chest.
In the early hours of Friday morning, two men – aged 21 and 25 – were killed at Dorothy Court. Around 08:30, the body of a 34-year-old man was found on the corner of Duinefontein Avenue and Jordaan Street. Police have since arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the shooting.
Two shootings took place within half an hour on Saturday afternoon, which saw two people killed. In the first shooting at 14:00 in Ruimte Road, a 19-year-old man was shot in the head. At 14:30, in Renoster Road, another 19-year-old was killed while walking on the street with his girlfriend.
Later that night, around 21:00, a 43-year-old man was killed at Inga court. He had reportedly been walking on the street when he was shot, said Twigg.
Manenberg Safety Forum’s Roegchanda Pascoe says the death toll would be higher if considering the violence over the last few weeks. According to Pascoe, shootings have been common over the last year, especially if one includes the activity in neighbouring Heideveld and Tambo Village.
She believes a leadership vacuum has sparked the shootings among gangs in the area.
‘It was like in a war’: Two children, one man wounded in separate shootings in Manenberg
“There is usually a drug cartel, a gun cartel and a gang that takes ownership or is in charge of distribution. It’s this last role that the gangs are fighting over,” she said.
However, Pascoe adds that the community suffers for it, with innocent residents often caught up in gang crossfire.
She said:
Manenberg CPF chairperson Vernon Visagie says the precinct had seen a flare-up of gang violence in the past month, culminating in the bloody weekend. This despite a community march of nearly 4 000 residents against gang violence recently.
“People are fearful. They’re scared for their lives. The shooting can happen at any time,” said Visagie.
Just last week, there was a shooting as children were going to school, putting them at risk of stray bullets, he said.
Visagie believes more boots on the ground are needed for the community to feel safe.
“We’re fed up. The neighbourhood watches work around the clock, but we need more policing resources. They owe it to our community,” he said.
Acting Minister of Community Safety, Anroux Marais says Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers have been deployed to Manenberg, “… to assist in stabilisation”.
“While the exact details of the deployments and operations cannot be revealed, the LEAP officers will be deployed along with other City Law Enforcement agencies, assisting the SAPS to stabilise the area in an integrated way,” said Marais.
Twigg said: “Our officers will remain in the area doing what they are mandated to do, and the community will feel our presence… In addition, operations jointly by the South African Police Service, Anti-Gang Unit, City’s Law Enforcement, Metro Police… and Crime Intelligence are executed to deal with the situation in Manenberg. Anyone with any information about the shooting incidents can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” said Twigg.
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