Six armed men approached the three victims aged 29, 30 and 44 at around 3pm while they were sitting in their vehicle, killing all three on the scene in Mfuleni. Picture: Leon Knipe/African News Agency (ANA)
Community leaders in Mfuleni have decried the lack of police visibility following the killing of three people in the area earlier this week.
This is after six gunmen shot and killed the victims at Fountain Heads in New Beginnings on Tuesday.
According to police spokesperson Andrè Traut, detectives attached to the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are pursuing all leads.
“It is believed that six armed men approached the three victims aged 29, 30 and 44 at around 3pm while they were sitting in their vehicle, killing all three on the scene.
“The suspects fled in a Toyota Avanza and are yet to be apprehended. The motive for the murders is yet to be established,” he said.
The killings are the latest in a spate of mass murders in Cape Town townships, and follow a bloodbath that saw four people killed in NY 5 in Gugulethu at the weekend.
The Mfuleni murders also came a few hours after police top brass, including Minister Bheki Cele, were in Cape Town to provide an update on crime-fighting strategies and strides made by Operation Shanela in the province.
Cele lauded the police adding that the weekly countrywide crime scan shows that police are “improving” their responses to crime and are pushing back on criminality.
“SAPS in this province has in the past six months arrested 978 murder suspects and removed 941 more individuals for their alleged attempts to kill another person.
“In the same period, Western Cape courts handed down life sentences to 11 murderers and 14 rapists.
“So while police are making inroads in the fight against crime in this province, it is deeply disturbing and unacceptable that over 100 people were killed in the Western Cape alone in a week.
“As a preventative measure, a decision has been made to saturate the area with different disciplines of SAPS combat units operating within the Gugulethu area,” he said.
Mfuleni ward councillor Ernest Madikane said police need to do more to protect residents.
“There is no police visibility and the police station is far. The police should keep their promise to intensify their policing efforts. Criminals... can see that there is no proper policing,” he said.
Anyone with information about the incidents can anonymously contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on 32211.
Cape Times
Related Topics: