The owner of the house in Better Life, Philippi East where seven people were shot and killed before they were set alight on Friday 17 October was still quite traumatised in its aftermath.
Sisa Mateyisi said he had been informed of the incident by one of the neighbours. “I’m devastated by the incident. I don’t know what to do. I knew only three people who were renting my house. I was shocked to learn there were 11 staying there. I don’t know where the other people came from.”
He said nine people were in the house when the attack occurred, most of them males and only one woman.
“The woman was sleeping in one room and one of the guys in another. One guy who survived the attack said he had heard gunshots and guys who were sitting in the dining room ran to the room he was in and threw themselves on top of him. He said the attackers came in and shot them. He said he pretended he was dead as well, which is how he survived.”
Mateyisi said the men were set alight after they were shot. He said he didn’t know how the survivor managed to escape the flames, but the male and female who were in their respective rooms emerged from the house when the officers arrival.
Mateyisi said all the deceased were from Flagstaff in the East Cape. “They are known. One of their homeboys came here saying he knows them because they were from the same hometown in the Eastern Cape. I’m not right. I’m still shocked. They had been in the house only three months.”
Provincial police spokesperson Col André Traut said officers launched a large-scale manhunt following the fatal shooting of seven men, aged between 20 and 30, in Better Life, Philippi East on Friday night. He said the detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit had been assigned to the case and were pursuing every available lead to identify and apprehend those responsible for the brutal attack.
“Western Cape police management has strongly condemned the senseless act of violence,” he said, “and confirmed the investigation had been prioritised to ensure the perpetrators were brought to justice swiftly.”
Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile expressed concern about the level of violence and appealed to community members to assist police by sharing any information that could aid the investigation. “Community cooperation is crucial in bringing those responsible to book and restoring safety to our neighbourhoods,” he said.
