A recent shooting in Gugulethu and a reported video from the alleged perpetrators has many believing the attacks were premeditated and part of a reported Boko Haram gang targeting communities on the Cape Flats.
On Monday afternoon [November 2], seven people were killed and two injured in a shooting in Gugulethu. Another person died a day later.
“Preliminary reports indicate that three women and four men between the ages of 30 and 40 were shot and killed by unknown gunmen at NY 78 in Gugulethu. Two other victims were injured and taken to a medical facility,” explained Brigadier Novela Potelwa.
Speaking to residents of Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Crossroads, Nyanga and Browns Farm, The Daily Maverick uncovered that the shooting was believed to be linked to a Boko Haram gang. Residents say the gang has been attempting to extort money from shebeens, spazas and other businesses, and have been causing mayhem in informal settlements.
The Daily Maverick also reports that the gang released a video in which they warn that this shooting was just the beginning, and that more can be expected as the country heads into the festive season.
There has been a recent surge in mass shootings and gang activity in township areas across the Western Cape.
In a statement, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, condemned the Gugulethu shooting, and called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to bring the perpetrators to book.
“The killings are concerning in the context of the worrying upward trend in murders in general in the country. Also, the shooting follows similar killings of six people in Khayelitsha in September, five people in Joe Slovo in October and the killing of seven people in Phillipi in July,” Joemat-Pettersson said.
The chairperson has emphasised the importance of collaboration between the police and the community, in general, to fight the scourge of crime in our communities. The situation in the Cape Flats requires all stakeholders to rally together and fight these crimes head-on.
Furthermore, the chairperson called on the SAPS and the Anti-Gang Unit to come up with strategies to prevent such attacks from happening, especially as the festive season draws near.
She also urged SAPS to put forward concrete strategies to deal with the proliferation of illegal firearms in our streets.
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