Calls are mounting for extra police officers to be deployed in Khayelitsha following another deadly mass shooting in Makhaza on Monday evening 10 October.
The shocking incident happened at Siphendule Street.
Suspects entered the house around 20:05 and fired several shots killing three men aged 24, 30 and 32. Two other men aged 30 were critically injured.
The suspects fled the scene with nothing.
Provincial police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut said police detectives are probing the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“It is believed that unknown suspects entered a residence in Siphendule Crescent at around 20:05 and opened fire at the occupants before fleeing the scene empty handed. The two wounded victims were admitted to a medical facility for treatment,” he said.
Traut said the motive for the murders and attempted murders is yet to be determined. He said while their 72 hour activation plan has been initiated, an urgent appeal is made to the public for information that can assist police with their investigation.
While the area has been relatively quiet following a series of mass shooting earlier in the year, the latest shooting has revived calls for additional officers to be deployed in the area.
Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Reagen Allen said barely 10 days after five people were shot and wounded in Khayelitsha, police informed him that they’re investigating the fatal shooting of three men and the attempted murder of two others who sustained gunshot wounds and are in a critical condition in a medical facility.
Allen said he will engage the provincial police commissioner on this latest incident.
“From an intelligence perspective the need exists for an immediate improvement. From a resource perspective it boggles my mind that there aren’t more Saps boots on the ground in the area,” he said.
Allen said Khayelitsha’s been an area where a number of fatal mass shootings occurred, yet they’ve not seen the required resources being allocated.
He said it was all good and well to activate a 72-hour plan, and have a greater presence for a short while, but it means nothing if that presence is not sustained.
“I maintain that the national government has no appetite to keep our people safe. Imbizo’s and summits is all you find in Khayelitsha, but the national government do not send the required resources,” he said.
Allen said Harare was one of the murder hotspot areas where Leap officers are deployed. The day when Saps falls on under our management, we will ensure that resources are deployed based on evidence, data and where the need is greatest, he claimed.
He said the national government should be ashamed for the manner in which they are not only continuing to fail police members by not supporting them, but all residents in Khayelitsha and beyond.
- Witness can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or the My SAPS mobile application can be used to relay information.