Cape Town - More police and law enforcement officers have been deployed in the Manenberg area to restore order after gang-related shootings that erupted on Wednesday and resulted in the death of three men.
On Wednesday afternoon, a gunfight broke out between gangs on Duinefontein Road in front of the police station and spilled into another gang’s turf, resulting in retaliation by other gangs in the area.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said at 9.19pm three men, aged 21, 19 and 25, were shot and injured in Peta Court, leaving the 21-year-old with fatal injuries.
Twigg said 10 minutes after the incident, police also responded to another shooting in Renoster Road, where a man was shot five times in the back at close range and succumbed to his wounds after collapsing on a bed.
He said that on Wednesday two murders and several attempted murders were registered for investigation.
On Thursday morning, a 33-year-old man was also shot and killed, while his 69-year-old mother was left wounded and taken to hospital for medical treatment after a shootout ensued opposite Downeville Primary School.
The woman was allegedly trying to shield her son when the bullet(s) hit her back.
The police said the motive for the shooting incidents was suspected to be gang-related.
Twigg said the deployed officers would remain on the ground until law and order were restored, while detectives were working around the clock to bring the perpetrators to book.
Community Policing Forum chairperson Vernon Visagie said the latest shootings were bound to happen as the police disregarded warnings from the community. He said the authorities were aware of how unsafe the area was when gangsters were arrested and later released on bail.
“We have warned the authorities about these gang shootings months before they started, and told them how our area is not safe,” he said.
Visagie said the area needed permanent deployment of Leap officers, and not only to respond to shooting incidents.
“This has been going on for some time, where they would deploy Leap officers in the area and when they feel like it ‘safe’, withdraw their forces and move to another area. That is the mistake they always make, instead of coming out the area and ensuring that it’s clear,” he said.
Visagie said the area was still unsafe, despite the deployment of police and law enforcement officers.