Just three days after Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Khayelitsha, six more people were gunned down in the area over the weekend.
Last Monday, a woman and four men were shot and killed, prompting Cele to visit the local police station.
Organised crime detectives are now pursuing several leads to determine if there is a link between the latest shooting in Enkanini informal settlement and last Monday’s killings in New Monwabisi Park, Endlovini.
The six victims were sitting in the shade next to a hokkie along Lindela Road on Sunday afternoon when three unidentified gunmen opened fire on them.
Four died at the scene, another who tried to run away from the gunfire was shot nearby, while the sixth victim died in hospital.
Witnesses say the gunshots sounded like they were fired from a machine gun.
“The victims were four men and two women. They were sitting next to the hokkie and drinking,” a female resident says.
“When I heard the gunshots, I ran inside my house and only came out when it was all quiet.
“No one really knows the reason for all the shooting as the victims are not from the area.”
Shocked community members stood around the scene as forensic personnel combed the area for clues.
They watched as the white sheets, which covered the victims, were removed before they were loaded into the mortuary van.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed they are looking for three suspects.
“Crime scene experts went to scour the scene in the Enkanini informal settlement, Khayelitsha, where six people were shot and killed on Sunday afternoon,” she says.
“Reports from the scene indicated that three unknown gunmen fired shots randomly at the victims in Lindela Road in the Enkanini informal settlement at approximately 4.10pm,” she says.
“After being alerted to the shooting incident, police arrived and found the bodies of the five victims strewn across two scenes that are 200 metres apart.
“A sixth person died on arrival at a medical facility.
“The yet-to-be identified victims, comprising two women and four men, are estimated between the ages of 22 and 27.”
Police have opened murder cases that are investigated by organised crime detectives.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact the police on 08600 10111.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za