CAPE TOWN – Gugulethu police registered multiple murder and an attempted murder cases following the shooting of six people, five of whom were killed, at NY 50 in Gugulethu on Monday 27 July. The motive for the attack had yet to be established.

Provincial police spokesperson Col André Traut said detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit related: “Officers responded to reports of a shooting at a residence, where they found the victims with multiple gunshot wounds. Four men and one woman, aged between 19 and 23, were declared dead at the scene by medical personnel. A 20-year-old woman who sustained gunshot wounds was transported to a medical facility.”

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He said preliminary investigations found that two unidentified armed men had forced their way into the house by kicking the front door open.

Gunmen forced entry before shooting

He said the suspects allegedly demanded a firearm before opening fire on the occupants. “They fled the scene and have not yet been arrested.”

The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the Western Cape, Maj-Gen Luyanda Damoyi, has strongly condemned the brutal attack and has directed detectives to pursue all available leads to bring those responsible to justice.

To prevent any further violence and provide reassurance to the community, additional operational members were deployed to the area while the investigation continued.

‘Silence is helping crime continue’

A leader of the Gugulethu Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, described the incident as shocking. He said the killing of people in the metro is becoming the norm.

“Officers alone cannot fight crime even if they had all the resources to do so. Community members are the primary sources of intelligence. As long as they keep quiet about these incidents, such killings will simply continue. Praying alone will not solve the problem.”

How to report information about the Gugulethu shooting

He urged the community to report any wrongdoing to the police station. He said those people who are hesitant just to speak to officers at the front desk were welcome to go straight to the station commander’s office and report directly to him.

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit information anonymously via the MySAPS mobile application. All information received will be treated with the strictest confidence.

• On Friday 24 July, three men were killed in an execution style shooting in Site B, Khayelitsha. No arrests have yet been made.