Amid escalating gang violence that has gripped Cape Flats residents with fear, activists have called for all spheres of government to do more.
Anti-Gang Unit detectives appealed to the public for assistance in catching the shooters involved in one of two triple murders in Heinz Park, Samora Machel, at the weekend.
Police spokesperson André Traut said: “Four armed suspects opened fire at the group of three men aged 17, 34 and 41, killing them on the scene at 3.30pm in Roos Street. The suspects fled and are yet to be apprehended.
Meanwhile, two possible suspects have been taken into custody by Serious and Violent Crime Unit detectives for a triple murder that was perpetrated also in Heinz Park on Saturday evening at 7.10pm.
The suspects, aged 29 and 30, are interrogated and once charged, they are expected to make a court appearance in Athlone for the murders of three men aged 29, 37 and 51 who were shot and killed in Cornflower Street.”
According to Traut, the motives for the two triple murders were yet to be determined, while the possibility that the incidents were linked was not excluded.
Samora Machel Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson, Bongani Maqungwana said police and the City’s law enforcement needed to work together.
“We think that’s the only solution to bring stability. Gangsterism cannot be fought by community members.
They are shooting randomly, everywhere they see the rival.
“It is up to law enforcement agencies to disarm the boys, and raid the houses. We need specialised forces to deal with those areas,” Maqungwana said.
Community activist Michael Jacobs said the past six months were horrific in Heinz Park.
“The community has been under siege because of the constant shooting, especially the young children that need to go outside of Heinz Park for school.
“The police, City and province don’t really have a plan to deal with the gang violence and the community is living in fear they are too scared to trust the police.
“Gangs are controlling the area.
“The response in Heinz Park is very sporadic.
“Politicians talk a lot but there are no real social development programmes to attract youth at risk away from gangsterism.
“Government on all levels have failed the community of Heinz Park,” Jacobs said.
Manenberg has also been experiencing ongoing shooting for weeks on end, with the City having to temporarily suspend refuse collection services until Friday.
Manenberg Safety Forum chairperson Roegshanda Pascoe said: “People have given up hope and just try to make the best of the situation. This thing is not going to work if we don’t use a multi-pronged approach. It cannot work without housing (for example) and breaking the grip of gangs.
Unemployment, which can be turned around, is (also) the worst problem for all these communities on the Cape Flats and beyond.”
Safety and security mayoral committee (mayco) member JP Smith said: “The City has developed a good relationship with SAPS at local level, but it is painful to see the continued under-resourcing that the service is dealing with.
“It is also an ongoing problem that our efforts on the ground in terms of making arrests and confiscating contraband do not translate quickly enough into convictions and keeping criminals off the street.
“The City’s safety and security directorate has implemented numerous social interventions around youth upliftment and empowerment through our metro police youth camps and the youth cadets. However, the directorate’s primary focus is enforcement outcomes.”
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen added that the recent mass murders in Heinz Park were “deeply disturbing”.
Anyone with information about the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 0860010111 or use the MySAPS app.
Cape Times