The community of the Covid informal settlement near Driftsands in Khayelitsha were rocked by yet another deadly shooting.
Two women were shot and killed on Saturday evening after gunmen stormed into a shack and fired several shots at them.
Nomfundiso Simaqade, 47, along with her friend, known only as Nontsokezo, were shot multiple times.
According to a relative who spoke to the Daily Voice, Simaqade was in the house with a few other people when two men, believed to be friends of one of the people who were in the shack, pounced on them.
The relative, who asked to remain anonymous, says that her aunt and friend were shot multiple times.
Three other people also sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The devastated relative says her aunt was “a very nice person” and they don’t know why anyone would want to kill her.
The relative says: “She has been living here at the Covid informal settlement since 2020. She was a very nice person to me and to everybody.”
The Daily Voice contacted a relative of Nontsokezo on Sunday, but received no response.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirms cops are investigating the shooting with no arrests made yet, saying: “Mfuleni police responded to a complaint on Saturday, 9 March 2024.
“Upon arrival in the Covid informal settlement, they found the bodies of two females who sustained multiple gunshot wounds to their bodies.
“The victims were declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel.”
Joseph confirms that Mfuleni police registered two cases of murder and three of attempted murder for further investigation.
The incident is the latest in as series of similar shootings.
In October 2023, three men were shot dead while apparently smoking drugs in a shack in Phola Park, Mfuleni. Police said seven men entered the shack and opened fire.
Earlier that month, three men were killed while sitting in a white VW Polo in Fountain Head.
And in August 2023, three EFF members were gunned down after demolishing an alleged drug dealer’s shack.
Ward councillor Ernest Madikane said he was aware of the latest incident, but didn’t have details about it.
Madikane added that crime is rife in Mfuleni, as there is no real visible policing in the communities.
He explains: “The crime is all over Mfuleni because there is no police station.
“We were told a long time ago by many ministers that a police station will be built in Mfuleni [but nothing has happened].”
“People are walking for more than 5km to go to a police station. Others that are staying in Covid can’t go to a police station.”
byron.lukas@inl.co.za