Hanover Park residents are reeling in shock after a gunman opened fire, killing two elderly women on Tuesday night.
The women, aged 60 and 75 years, were killed while three others were wounded in Lansport Road.
Police spokesperson FC van Wyk said that Philippi police are investigating two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
“According to reports five women aged 32, 35, 50, 60, 75 were sitting in the house in Lansport Road when a grey VW Polo stopped in front of the house. A man got out of the car and walked into the house. Several shots were fired inside the house, hitting all five women.
“A 75-year-old female was fatally wounded on scene. The 60-year-old female died of a gunshot wound to the chest and was declared as dead on arrival,” he said.
Hanover Park Community Policing Forum spokesperson Kashiefa Mohammed said the residents are still battling to come to terms with the brazen murders.
“The community is in a very terrible state. We are upset about women being killed and in three weeks’ time it will be Women’s Month, yet these incidents keep on happening to the very same women that are meant to be celebrated.
“The women were sitting in the house that they usually sit every night, and they were playing games like they usually do every night,” she said.
Police oversight and community safety MEC Reagen Allen condemned the incident.
“This is appalling and quite frankly barbaric. These heartless killers should immediately be arrested so that they can be convicted in a court of law. I urge anyone with information to make it available to all law enforcement agencies. We need to get these individuals off our streets,” said Allen.
Anyone with information on the incident can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111, SMS Crime Line on 32211 or use the MySAPS mobile app.
Cape Times