- Two men, aged 24 and 28, will appear in Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on June 14 in connection with the killing of four people at a Site C barbershop on June 8.
- Over the same weekend, at least 11 murders and seven attempted murders were recorded in Khayelitsha, including multiple shootings involving a Quantum minibus.
- A community leader expressed concern about the rising violence and urged residents to take action against criminals, criticising law enforcement for failing to protect them.
Two men, aged 24 and 28, are expected to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court tomorrow (14 June) in connection with the killing of four people at a Site C barber shop on Saturday 8 June.
The pair was arrested on Tuesday 11 June. They are facing murder and attempted murder charges. “With the investigation unfolding the possibility of more arrests and further charges being pursued cannot be ruled out,” provincial police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa stated.
Over a deadly weekend in the Khayelitsha policing precinct, at least 11 murders and seven attempted murder cases were recorded in a space of three days between Saturday 8 and Monday 10 June.
In a shocking incident around 15:00 at Qwarha Street in Site C, a group of people emerged from a Quantum minibus and opened fire on the people in a barber shop. Four of them died on the scene and seven were injured. The deceased are between five and 30 years old.
In an earlier incident, two men were shot dead at S Section in Site B. They reportedly were also ambushed by Quantum occupants.
Khayelitsha police spokesperson Const Asanda Dawethi explained that another incident was recorded at 21:10. The victim died at the Khayelitsha District Hospital. He had a gunshot wound. Circumstances surrounding his death are uncertain.
More killings
On Sunday 9 June, another incident occurred at BT section in Site C at about 07:30, where a body of a man was discovered with gunshot wounds.
At 04:00 on Monday another body with gunshot wounds was found at L section in Site B. In a last incident, at 16:00 a body of a man was discovered on the railway tracks behind X section with gunshot wounds.
Commenting on the shootings, the leader who opted to remain anonymous for fear of being targeted, said crime was getting out of control in their areas.
“There is no life here. People are often killed. No-one is safe. Ever since this extortion thing began in our communities people have been dying like flies.”
Of great concern to him is that these shootings affect innocent people. He said it is high time communities stood up and reclaimed their streets.
“We can’t sit back as if there is nothing happening. It seems the law-enforcement agencies are failing to protect us. We need to go back and use the same system we used against impimpi when we were fighting against apartheid regime.
Once we catch the criminal let’s hang him with a burning tyre,” he said, adding that it can’t be a business as usual while innocent people are dying.
He lambasted parents who are protecting their sons who are robbing and killing people on the streets citing that they are also accomplices.
“You can’t tell me no-one knows about the people who are terrorising our communities. Sometimes as community members we are endorsing these criminals by not reporting them to the police. We need to speak out,” he said.
