Kraaifontein violence: Six lives tragically lost in two hours

“Every day we step on blood in Kraaifontein.”

These were the chilling words of Kraaifontein Community Police Forum (CPF) chairperson Mawethu Sisila after six people, four women and two men, were murdered in three separate incidents in less than two hours.

Western Cape police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed that investigators are probing the motive behind the attacks.

“Kraaifontein police are investigating three double murders in separate shooting incidents on Tuesday,” he said.

The first attack occurred at about 11.30pm on Monday in Molefe Street, Wallacedene, where two women, aged 19 and 25, were shot dead and a third woman, 24, was wounded.

“Police members attended the crime scene, where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies. The 19- and 25-year-old victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel, while the 24-year-old victim was taken to a medical facility for treatment,” Twigg said.

Ten minutes later, police were called to Taleman Street, also in Wallacedene.

“Two females in their twenties were shot and fatally wounded. Upon arrival on the scene, they found the victims inside a bedroom with gunshot wounds to their heads. Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The possibility that these incidents are linked is not ruled out,” Twigg added.

Earlier, at around 9.50 pm, two men aged 20 and 22 were gunned down in an unrelated shooting at the corner of 9th Avenue and Verster Street, Eikendal.

“Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. The motives for all of these attacks form part of the police investigation,” Twigg said.

Sisila said the CPF was deeply concerned about the spate of shootings.

“Every day we step on blood. We are seeking the motive behind these attacks. The police always come after the fact. The community should assist, but they don’t come forward. I think they could be scared because they don’t trust the police, they are afraid that the police they talk to could be linked to the shooters. We need to mend those relationships.”

He said Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile had recently addressed residents at an imbizo, but attendance was poor.

“Community activism is not there. We have decided to call meetings in block areas. According to our safety plan, we are going to zoom into the hotspot areas, encourage them to report crime confidentially,” Sisila explained.

He added that hotspots were concentrated in informal settlements where poor lighting and narrow roads made policing difficult.

“We want the police to be safe when they patrol there. We want the city to remove some structures so there can be proper roads. It’s difficult for the police to chase anyone through the shacks.

“Another issue is gangsterism – gangsters are fighting. We need a new police station. The one that is in existence was meant to serve 50,000, but the number of residents in Kraaifontein is almost a million, if not more, so we need two more stations to cover all the wards.”

South African Communist Party (SACP) provincial secretary Benson Ngqentsu also called for urgent intervention.

“The alarming surge in violent crime and firearm usage as a weapon of choice in Kraaifontein demands immediate attention. As a deployed Member of Parliament by our movement, I invite Acting Minister Prof Cachalia to visit the area’s hotspots before concluding his provincial visit. Kraaifontein consistently ranks among the top 30 police stations with high murder rates.

“We need tangible solutions, and a visit from the minister can help inform effective interventions. Actually, the mere fact that these mass shootings continue unabated although the minister and high-ranking police officials are in the province to address crime confirms the extent to which criminals are emboldened.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za