STELLENBOSCH – The community of Kayamandi continues to be plagued by deadly gun violence after yet another fatal shooting in the informal settlement in Stellenbosch on Sunday 26 July.

Police in the Western Cape have launched a probe into the mass shooting, which saw four people fatally gunned down and four more – including two police officers – wounded.

Provincial police spokesperson Colonel André Traut said Stellenbosch police officers responded to reports of a shooting in Seventh Avenue, Kayamandi around 17:35. “They found an unidentified man who has sustained fatal gunshot wounds,” he related.

“While attending to the crime scene, the members heard further gunfire in the vicinity and immediately responded. As they approached the area, they encountered armed suspects who opened fire on them. The members returned fire, forcing the suspects to flee the scene.”

Four dead, four wounded in shootout

During the shootout, two police officers and two civilians, a man and a woman, sustained gunshot injuries and were transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment, Traut added.

“Four unidentified men were found with fatal gunshot wounds,” he said.

“A 9 mm firearm was recovered at one of the crime scenes and has been seized for forensic analysis. Crime scenes experts worked through the night processing the scenes and collecting evidence to assist the investigation.”

In the wake of the fatal incident, Major General Luyanda Damoyi, acting provincial police commissioner, condemned the attack. “This senseless violence has claimed several lives and left police officials and innocent members of the community injured,” he said.

“We will utilise every available resource to identify and apprehend those responsible. Those who attack police officers and terrorise our communities will face the full might of the law.”

No arrests as killings mount

Traut said the motive for the shootings form part of the ongoing investigation. He further confirmed no arrests have been made.

Over the past couple of months, Eikestadnuus has reported on several deadly shooting incidents in the Kayamandi area.

In May, multiple shootings on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 May claimed the lives of seven people in five separate incidents, with police launching a manhunt for the suspects.

ALSO READ: Police probe seven murders in five separate Kayamandi shootings

In June, Stellenbosch police attended to three separate scenes in Kayamandi, which saw three people killed and a 12-year-old boy wounded, prompting community members to take to the streets to call for immediate intervention by authorities.

During a peaceful march from Kayamandi to the Stellenbosch Town Hall, the Kayamandi Movement for Change handed over a memorandum to representatives of Stellenbosch police and municipal Law Enforcement.

ALSO READ: ‘Protect our community’ – Kayamandi residents march against rising violence

Residents’ demands for safety

The protestors demanded an increase in visible policing and more police personnel at the satellite police station in Kayamandi.

They also called for the establishment of a local safety task team, interventions at known crime hotspots, improved lighting and other safety infrastructure, an expansion of CCTV and SMART Community Safety Systems, and the adoption of a community safety summit in the area.

Traut said detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit are investigating Sunday’s fatal shooting.

He called on anyone with information on the incident to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or provide information anonymously via the MySAPS mobile application.