Retaliation is coming.
These are ominous words from a community activist on the Cape Flats.
He spoke on condition of anonymity after bullets have been flying across the Flats in recent days, with at least six people killed in gun violence in the past week alone.”The worst is coming,” says the activist, who fears for his own life. He left the gangs about five years ago. “I urge everyone to be vigilant over the weekend, because word on the street is ‘hulle wil bloed optel’ (they want to retaliate).”
Fatal shootings
Since last weekend, fatal shootings have been reported in Kraaifontein, Bonteheuwel, Mitchells Plain and Elsies River. But the big talking point this week was the killing of four men in Lotus River. The victims, aged between 32 and 44, were gunned down on the corner of Nita and Olga Streets when a car approached and its occupants opened fire. The men were shot outside a block of flats. A fifth victim was hospitalised with serious injuries.
The day before, on Wednesday, a 37-year-old state witness in an R18 million drug trafficking case was fatally shot in Kensington. On the same day, one person was killed in Manenberg and six others were injured.
Condemned
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais has condemned the latest gang-related shootings.”The shooting in Lotus River, where four men lost their lives and another was seriously injured, as well as the shooting in Manenberg that claimed the life of a young man and left several others injured — including a police member — are stark reminders of the devastating impact that criminal gangs continue to have on communities across the Cape Flats,” said Marais. “I condemn these senseless acts of violence in the strongest possible terms. No community should be subjected to the constant threat of gun violence, and no family should have to endure the heartbreak caused by these ruthless criminals.”
She called on police to use every available resource to identify, apprehend and successfully prosecute those responsible. “The perpetrators must be removed from our communities and face the full might of the law. “
Marais said the persistent shootings and killings demand extraordinary measures. “It is increasingly evident that conventional approaches alone are not sufficient to deal with the entrenched gang violence that continues to plague affected areas. I therefore urge law enforcement authorities to urgently review and strengthen their strategy to disarm criminal gangs and disrupt their operations.”
She said intelligence should be used proactively to identify gang strongholds, locate illegal firearms and facilitate targeted operations — including locking down affected areas with the support of the South African National Defence Force. “Every illegal firearm recovered has the potential to save lives and prevent further bloodshed,” she said.
Marais also appealed to residents to keep working with law enforcement by reporting information about illegal firearms, gang activity and those who harbour criminals. “Communities possess valuable information that can assist authorities in locating weapons and bringing offenders to justice.”
Police have since reinforced deployments in the affected areas in an effort to prevent further shooting incidents. “Preliminary investigations indicate the motive for the shooting is gang-related. Anti-Gang Unit detectives are hard at work searching for the perpetrators. No arrests have been made yet,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa.
JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s mayco member for Safety and Security, says he joined the metro police’s Gang and Drug Task Team on Wednesday for an operation in Athlone when they received a call: “Gang shooting in Manenberg”. “We immediately diverted to the scene in Rio Grande Walk. Sadly, six people had been shot. What appeared to be a retaliation attack once again highlighted the cycle of violence that continues to plague communities affected by gang activity,” said Smith.
Additional resources
Additional resources were redirected into the area, with deployments saturating the neighbourhood and a strong law enforcement presence established along Manenberg Avenue to prevent further retaliation. “Along Rio Grande Walk, spent bullet casings lay scattered across the ground — grim evidence of the violence that had unfolded just moments before. Police tape stretched across the road as forensic investigators prepared to document the crime scene. Nearby, curious residents gathered, trying to find out who had been shot ‘this time’. For many in these communities, this has become an all too familiar routine. For the children still playing on the pavements nearby, it is a reality they should never have to accept,” said Smith.
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