- Four men, aged 29 to 35, were arrested on Tuesday 3 December in connection with the murder of five men in a shack in Mfuleni on Sunday.
- Police recovered four firearms, including a rifle and three pistols, during the investigation, with ballistic testing underway.
- Provincial police suspect the killings were linked to extortion activities, with the victims reportedly having pending legal cases.
At least four men, aged between 29 and 35, have been arrested in connection with the killing of five people in Mfuleni on Sunday 1 December.
The four were arrested on Tuesday 3 December and are due to appear in the Blue Downs Magistrates Court today (5 Dec).
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said members of the Western Cape Serious Violent Crime investigators supported by intelligence operatives arrested four men on Tuesday 3 December suspected of killing five men in a shack in Mfuleni on Sunday 1 December.
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Potelwa said the suspects have subsequently been charged with murder and possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. “They are expected to appear in court soon. As part of the same investigation, vital intelligence also led the team to a location where they recovered four firearms (a rifle and three pistols) as well as rounds of ammunition. The confiscated firearms will undergo ballistic testing to determine if they were utilised in the commission of the Mfuleni murders or any other crime,” she said.
Potelwa said the arrests and seizure of firearms have been hailed by the provincial police management in efforts to curb incidents of violent crimes in the province.
“Since the occurrence of the Mfuleni multiple murders on Sunday afternoon Western Cape police teams have been hard at work in search of the perpetrators.
On Monday 2 December morning the Western Cape Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile with the deputy provincial commissioner for Crime Detective Maj-Gen Bongani Maqashalala visited the Mfuleni precinct and were briefed on the progress of the investigation,” said Potelwa.
Patekile visited the scene on Monday 2 December to assess it. He said they suspect the shooting was extortion-related.
“We have heard that two people came into the shack where the deceased were sitting. One of the culprits was carrying an automatic rifle and another one a hand gun. They shot and killed them on the scene. It appears that the shack owner, who is among the deceased, had a pending rape case. While other two deceased also had drug-related cases, which were also pending since 2017,” he explained.
Patekile said it is alleged that the culprits were looking for another suspect who used to visit in the shack with his friends.
Patekile said the wanted suspect was allegedly one of the leaders of the extortion activities in the area.
Mother of one of the deceased, who refused to be named, said she is distraught by the incident. She described her son as a people’s person.
“I’m still traumatised by the incident. My son was in his room sleeping when he was shot.
“His friends were sitting inside the yard smoking hookah pipe. It was a bad incident,” she said.
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The mother said she saw the culprits passing next to her as she was busy braaing meat on her meat stall a few kilometres from her son’s shack.
“Within a few minutes, I heard gunshots in my son’s shack. I ran to take cover and the shots were continuing after that the culprits left.
“There were more than 20 gunshots. There are more than five bullet holes in the door and others in the wall,” she said, adding that what traumatised her the most was that her son was shot in his sleep.
