Cape Town - The murder of an alleged gang leader in Tafelsig has left residents fearing retaliation shootings, says the Community Police Forum in the area.
On Sunday, Abie Isaacs, chairman of the Mitchells Plain CPF, said its incident response unit had been told to be on the lookout for possible retaliation attacks.
In one of the latest shootings in the Mitchells Plain area, the alleged gangster, a 43-year-old man, was gunned down in Compassberg Street in Tafelsig three days ago.
On the Facebook forum “Traffic fines, cameras & updates in Western Cape”, it said: “The leader of the Fancy Boys was shot dead this afternoon. This means more shooting and killing. Scared for the children and innocent people.”
Another user wrote: “Was at da scene and it doesn’t look good… Once the police is gone then all of us must stay inside our homes please cos it wil be war.”
The man was named on the forum, but on Sunday police were not able to give his name to the Cape Times.
Police spokesman Frederick van Wyk said Mitchells Plain officers were called to the scene on Friday afternoon and, when they arrived, saw the man’s body.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident will be investigated,” he said.
Van Wyk said charges relating to murder were being investigated and anyone with information about the murder was urged to call Pieter Joubert, a detective warrant officer with Mitchells Plain police, at 074 367 8326.
Isaacs confirmed a gang member had been killed in the shooting, but declined to confirm if the man had been a leader.
“He was a member of a particular gang. I can’t divulge the name for safety reasons,” he said.
The murder comes after at least two fatal shootings in Tafelsig last month.
Isaacs said the CPF’s priority was to ask the police to concentrate on the circulation of firearms.
In an interview with the Cape Times about a week ago, the provincial police’s gang strategy co-ordinator, Jeremy Vearey, said officers were dealing with younger gangsters in the Tafelsig area.
“They’re quite boisterous,” he said.
Vearey said police had managed to prevent “the older hands”, older gangsters, from stepping in and exploiting the situation.
He said that, while the situation had “sort of plateaued”, particular gangs in Tafelsig were viewed as “an area of concern”.
There had previously been a number of gang-related incidents in Rocklands but Vearey said this had been clamped down on.
In a recent police operation in Mitchells Plain, 384 suspects had been arrested for crimes, including the illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and drugs.
Cape Times