Multiple shootings in Kayamandi in Stellenbosch between Friday evening (22 May) and Saturday morning (23 May) have left seven dead.

Brig Novela Potelwa, a spokesperson for the Western Cape police, confirmed these vicious crimes.

“Provincial serious violent crime (SVC) detectives have launched a manhunt for suspects believed to be behind several shooting incidents that occurred in Kayamandi on Friday evening and one on Saturday morning. The five incidents left seven people dead.”

She says one incident took place in Mgabadeli Street. A 46-year-old man was gunned down shortly after he returned from work. According to police reports, the victim was shot by three gunmen who fled the scene.

Around 21:00 two men, aged 27 and 32, were shot and killed in Thubelisha Street. Potelwa says the the gunmen are yet to be identified.

“Meanwhile in Fire Street, police discovered the bodies of a 27-year-old man and a woman aged 26 in a shack with gunshot wounds at 21:10. Police on patrol were flagged down and alerted to another incident in Luyolo Street between the shacks where they discovered the body of a 33-year-old man with gunshot wounds. In the early hours of Saturday morning, police were called out to 7th Avenue where the body of a 37-year-old man was also discovered with gunshot wounds.”

Potelwa added that all these incidents are being investigated by the police, with detectives probing whether these incidents are linked or not. So far no arrests have been made.

Possible link probed by detectives

Last Sunday (17 May) three people were killed and two seriously injured after two gunmen opened fire at a home in Jakaranda Street in Franschhoek. This shooting is also under investigation by SVC detectives. It cannot be confirmed at this stage if there is a possibility that it might be linked to the Kayamandi incidents.

ALSO READ: Seven dead, child wounded in separate Western Cape shootings

Meanwhile, Premier Alan Winde and MEC for Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, have cautiously welcomed a decline in murders and violent crime across the Western Cape, while warning that violence in communities remains a major concern.

According to the latest police crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, murders in the province decreased by 8%, from 1 068 cases between January and March 2025 to 983 cases during the same period this year. Attempted murder cases also declined by 10.3%, from 1 143 to 1 025 cases, while overall contact crime dropped by 6.5%.

Winde said although the reductions are encouraging, the levels of violence in the province remain alarming.

“While these reductions are encouraging, the levels of violence in our province remain unacceptably high. Gang violence is a serious concern, accounting for the majority of murders in this region.”

Decrease in Western Cape murders noted

The statistics further show that murders in the combined Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) areas dropped by 10.9%, from 294 cases between January and March 2025 to 262 cases during the same period this year.

Notable decreases were recorded in Delft (-22.7%), Mitchells Plain (-18.5%), Nyanga (-30.2%) and Philippi East (-18.6%), while Gugulethu (+19.5%) and Khayelitsha (+26.3%) recorded increases in murder cases.

According to Marais stronger cooperation between communities and police is urgently needed.

“I welcome the overall reduction in murders in the province. However, my continued appeal to both residents and the SAPS is for stronger collaboration to improve our collective intelligence footprint. A proper, functional intelligence capability is essential if we are to prevent killings before they occur, rather than merely responding after lives have already been lost.”

She added that public trust in police must be restored to encourage residents to come forward with information on criminal activity.

“We need to restore public confidence in the SAPS, encourage residents to come forward with information on criminal activities, and ensure that sensitive information is handled responsibly so that those who assist law enforcement are properly protected. This will enable us to arrest those responsible for the ongoing killings, secure successful prosecutions, and ultimately restore safety to our communities.”