No arrests had yet been made for the murder op Friday (22 August) of a 3-month-old baby in Bonteheuwel, but one of the suspects sought by police in connection with the murder of had been arrested at least twice before op weapons charges.
Baby Moegsien Isaacs was killed after two men had entered his family’s Yellowwood Street residence and fired one shot that hit him in the head. Despite numerous attempts to save his life he died in hospital and was buried the following day, Saturday the 23rd.
No strangers to crime
According to JP Smith, Mayco member for Safety and Security, the perpetrators are no strangers to violent crime. “In 2016 our officers arrested this very suspect in Bishop Lavis with an illegal firearm. The case was withdrawn.
“In 2019 we arrested him again this time with yet another firearm. Four months later again the case was withdrawn. Nearly a decade later this same suspect is op the run again and still destroying lives. If justice had been served in 2016 this baby would be alive.”
Community shaken
Angus McKenzie, local ward councillor, said the community had been shaken by the violent death of this baby. “I want to express my deepest thanks to the brave residents who immediately rushed him to hospital and to those who phoned the City’s emergency number and provided me with critical information. But let us be very clear, this tragedy is a direct result of a broken policing system. A 3-month-old baby has paid the price today.”
He said the Bishop Lavis Police Precinct was collapsing under the weight of an impossible mandate. “Covering nine different communities, this single station is expected to combat gang violence, drug trade and murders in areas where more than half these communities are already gang-infested and deeply gang-affected. While Bonteheuwel does not face the same daily murder rates as neighbouring areas gangsterism still lingers op our streets. But the crisis is far worse in Valhalla Park, Bishop Lavis, Kalksteenfontein and others where murders continue at an alarming pace, and where residents are forced to live in constant fear.
“The reality is simple, our police officers at Bishop Lavis are being set up to fail. They do not have the vehicles, resources or manpower to cover this vast precinct. They are overburdened, stretched beyond capacity, and left trying to do the impossible, keep nine communities safe with a fraction of the tools required to do so. For years I have been calling for a fully functional police station in Bonteheuwel. This is not a luxury; it is a necessity. It would ease the unbearable pressure op Bishop Lavis police and allow policing to be more effective, more responsive and more visible in our communities.”
The police asked the public’s help in arresting the murderers. “Any person who can shed light op the circumstances of this incident is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop 08600 10111 or by using the mobile application MySAPS anonymously,” the police pleaded in a statement.
