Cape Town - Police have arrested the suspects who were believed to have shot and killed eight people at a traditional ceremony in Gugulethu NY 79 last year.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa announced progress in the case on Sunday, saying detectives had apprehended three suspects from Philippi East and Gugulethu for the gruesome killings.
“Unrelenting efforts of a team of detectives assigned to investigate a multiple murder case after eight people were shot and killed in Gugulethu in June last year, have seen three suspects arrested.”
Potelwa said the probe began after five people were shot dead at a traditional cleansing ceremony in NY 79 in Gugulethu on July 23, 2021, while three others were shot and wounded.
“The injured victims had sustained serious gunshot wounds and died after being rushed to medical facilities for treatment. Reports at the time of the shooting indicated the gunmen pulled up in a vehicle in front of the home in NY 79 and started shooting before fleeing,” she said.
Last month, investigating officers finally managed to track down the suspects, arresting two of them on July 20 and the third suspect on July 27 through a tracing operation.
The three suspects, Thabo Dyasi, Sivuyile Matoti and Lundi Zweni, known to be from Philippi East and Gugulethu, have briefly appeared in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court. Their cases were postponed to tomorrow for bail applications. They remain in custody.
“The determination of the investigators in solving the case and bringing the perpetrators to book is commended by the Western Cape SAPS management as part of ongoing efforts to root out criminality in local communities,” Potelwa said.
Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen welcomed the arrests and commended the investigating detectives who traced the suspects: “I am pleased to note the suspects have been arrested. I’d like to commend the investigators for being relentless in their pursuit of these suspects.
“Criminals must be aware that they’ll have no place to hide once they’ve committed an offence. Everything should be done to ensure that these suspects remain behind bars and that bail is denied,” he said.
Allen said Gugulethu is one of his department’s priority communities, where Leap officers were deployed to support police in policing various areas of the community.
“It is these types of horrendous crimes that we need to eradicate from our society. As a community, we assist the SAPS with information so that more criminals can be removed from our streets. This will undoubtedly help create safer communities,” Allen said.