A man has died after coming under attack on Baden Powell Drive just days after the City of Cape Town announced they will not be improving the lighting on the notorious coastal road.
This week crime-fighters in Strandfontein raised their concerns again, after two motorists ended up in near fatal crashes as skelms placed large boulders in the road.
Strandfontein CPF chairperson, Sandy Schuter, explained this was being done to bring motorists to a halt so they can be attacked.
Schuter questioned what happened to the municipality’s plan to install better lighting in the area between Strandfontein and Khayelitsha as the number of bodies dumped on the roadside continued to rise.
But Mayco member for Energy, Beverley van Reenen said after consideration, a decision had been taken to not replace streetlight lamps due to repeat cases of vandalism, saying that the continued replacement of infrastructure was “unfeasible”.
Police spokesperson, sergeant Wesley Twigg, confirms an incident occurred just after 12am on Tuesday after a motorist came under attack.
“The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Tuesday along the beach road in Strandfontein, where a 47-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded, are under investigation.
“According to reports the victims stopped along the road when they were approached by unknown suspects in a white vehicle who started shooting at them.
“The driver then drove to a medical facility where the 47-year-old victim was declared deceased on arrival.
“The driver, an adult male, escaped unharmed.
“Cases of murder and attempted murder were registered for investigation at Harare SAPS. The suspects are yet to be arrested.”
Schuter warns that more people would die.
“I’m saddened that another fatal incident has cost the life of another person on our beach road.
“I am at my wits’ end as an activist. I’ve advocated for this very dangerous beach road for many years.
“We have volunteer crime-fighters that assist the South African Police Service in patrolling the area when they are able to but we need additional help.
“The lighting and CCTV needs to be fast-tracked as this was promised before and nothing has come of it.”
She says they are concerned about the thousands of motorists using the road daily and says the community has vowed to fight the City’s plan.
“We warned that more people would die if the City did not do something.
“We urge motorists to be vigilant when travelling on Baden Powell Drive, especially at night.”