KRAAI FOR HELP

"Every day we step on blood in Kraaifontein,” lamented Mawethu Sisila, chairperson of the Kraaifontein Community Policing Forum (CPF) after three brutal double murders on Tuesday night

In less than two hours, six people - four women and two men - were murdered in three separate incidents, underscoring the urgent need for action against the escalating crime in the area.

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

He said: “Kraaifontein police are investigating three double murders in separate shooting incidents on Tuesday.

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

Twigg reported: “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."

Later that evening, in nearby Wallacedene, four women were killed within 10 minutes of one another in separate incidents.

At 11.30pm in Molefe Street, 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.

And 11.40pm, police were called to Taleman Street, also in Wallacedene.

Twigg added: “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."

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.

Sisila added: “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.

“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.”