A man that was shot and killed in a daylight drive-by in Tafelsig, during the school holidays, has been identified as one of the former accused in the Clare Swartz murder case.
Swartz’s body was found in the Wolfgat Nature Reserve dunes, behind Hugeunot Primary School, last year.
Several men were arrested in connection with her murder but later released due to lack of evidence, including the man who was shot dead in Tafelsig on Monday 5 January.
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Captain FC van Wyk, of the police’s provincial media office, said that the man was killed at 14:50.
“This office confirms that Mitchells Plain police registered a case of murder, following the fatal shooting of a 22-year-old male,” Van Wyk said.
He said that, according to witnesses, a car passed the man and the occupants opened fire in his direction in Tafelberg Street.
“He ran and collapsed in Westham Street, Tafelsig. The deceased sustained gunshot wounds to his chest. He was declared dead by medical personnel on the scene. The motive for the shooting is unclear at this point, and no suspect has been arrested yet,” he said.
Concerns on Swartz’s case
Lynne Philips of the Cape Flats Safety Forum, confirmed that the man had been one of the accused in the Swartz case.
She expressed sadness that he “lost his life in a gang fight” because she was concerned that his death would delay the court proceedings in Swartz’ trial.
“We hope that this case will be dealt with with the full might of the law and that all those involved are brought to book as soon as possible so that the family of late Clare can have closure.”
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A post by the Mitchells Plain United Resident’s Association (Mura) on social media, identified the man as Diego Blaauw.
The post said he was arrested and charged in August for Swartz’s murder but was freed a month later due to a lack of evidence and was no longer part of the case.
The post said “Swartz was found stabbed, half naked and dumped at the Wolfgat Nature Reserve on 21 August 2025. She was stabbed multiple times in the neck while her boyfriend, who was also knifed, managed to get away and flee.”
It added that Blaauw’s death was as a result of gang violence.
Gang warfare
“The fight started with stone-throwing and later escalated into shooting,” the post said adding that video footage showed the groups throwing stones at each other before shots were heard.
Last year, Swartz’s father took to social media to vent his frustration at the accused’s release. At the time Mitchells Plain station commander Brigadier Brian Muller said the men were released but the investigation is ongoing and they could be rearrested once the detectives receive the results of pending DNA tests.
Muller said the other two suspects are still in custody because blood was found on their clothes and shoes which were taken in as evidence.
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“We are therefore awaiting the lab results to link all the accused to the case. We are also waiting on the pathologist to confirm if the victim was raped,” Muller said.
According to Muller the boyfriend of Swartz was with her when they were attacked. He was seriously injured and admitted to hospital but he could not identify any of Swartz’s killers.
Swartz’s body was found on 21 August.
Toddler stabbed
Also in Tafelsig, a toddler sustained stab wounds over the festive season. Sergeant Wesley Twigg of the provincial police media centre said a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm was opened for investigation after a three-year-old was injured in Guava Street, in the late evening on 29 December.
“We can confirm that a 39-year-old male was arrested,” he said. He said that during the arrest, community members “became riotous” and threw bricks at the officers.
“A Law Enforcement officer was injured during the incident and a public violence case was registered for investigation. No arrests was made yet,” he said.
