Gugulethu police are investigating a triple murder after a shooting incident at the Kanana informal settlement in Gugulethu on Saturday 27 June. Two women and a man were shot and killed in the incident.
Serious Violent Crime Unit takes over investigation
Provincial police spokesperson Col André Traut said detectives attached to the Provincial Serious Violent Crime Unit were investigating the murders.
“According to reports, at approximately 19:00, three armed suspects arrived at a shack in NY111, Kanana, looking for the owner of the dwelling, who was not at home at the time. The suspects reportedly waited for her return and, on her arrival, opened fire on her and other occupants.”
He said two women, aged 41 and 46, and a 21-year-old man sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were declared dead on the scene.
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Traut said several other occupants managed to flee during the attack and escaped unharmed.
Motive unclear, targeted attack suspected
He said the motive for the murders had yet to be determined, although preliminary information suggested the incident may have been a targeted attack.
“No arrests have been made yet and the investigation is ongoing.”
Community leader calls for police visibility
A community leader who refused to be named for fear of reprisals expressed shock over the incident, saying it looked as if the shooting was orchestrated and all the dead were related to one another.
“One of the deceased was a shebeen owner, another the nephew of the shebeen owner. I am not sure about the third person, but it seems she was also a relative. I suspect the perpetrators knew what they were looking for. That they evidently waited for them to kill them is significant.”
At the same time, he said, he did not wish to speculate and preferred to leave everything to law enforcement to establish, and appealed for more police visibility in the area.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit information anonymously via the MySAPS mobile application.
