Cape Town - Three people were shot, at least one of them fatally, when gunmen opened fire in Manenberg on Wednesday night.
The Manenberg Safety Forum said the dead man was a right-hand man to the Hard Livings gang boss in the area. Police said a 24-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the murder of a 28-year-old man in Jordan Street on Wednesday night. The practice of killing people in their homes was becoming more frequent, said Manenberg Safety Forum spokesperson Roegshanda Pascoe.
“Imagine the fear the community has. What if it happens to us?” she asked.
The forum is calling on police to work alongside residents to find the right approach to address gang violence.
#GansterismMustFall leader Roscoe Jacobs. said that Wednesday night’s shootings proved “there is a lack of political will to address the root causes that are perpetuating the violence”.
“We need a long-term solution that can eradicate this problem, but for that we need all stakeholders around the table to put together a programmatic approach,” he said.
Jacobs called on all residents, in Manenberg and elsewhere, to call the CrimeLine number 32211 to inform police about illegal firearms.
Police raided the area a few weeks ago, confiscating illegal weapons and drugs.
The City of Cape Town has sent a stabilisation unit into the area, which has reduced violence over the past couple of weeks following several shootings. The unit is still active in the area.
“But its not a magic wand,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith. “These kinds of things used to happen every day.”
Pascoe added: “All departments need to address the root of the problem: the social breakdown of communities. If police and the community don’t come together to become more proactive, we aren’t even going to be halfway to where we need to be to stop this violence.”
Cape Argus