Cape Town - A Gugulethu family is still battling to come to terms with the murder of three people, including a family member, by gunmen who stormed their home and opened fire on Saturday night.
Lonwabo Limekhaya was inside the house with his friends when the shooters burst through the doors, emptied their guns on them and fled.
The victims had earlier attended a traditional Xhosa ceremony, umgidi, (a few houses away) to welcome back an initiate who had undergone the month-long rite of passage into manhood.
Limekhaya’s distraught sister, Khuthala, said she was still at the celebrations when she heard the sound of gunfire, but dismissed it as fire crackers. This, she said, was despite her friend’s insistence that they were gunshots.
“My friends immediately realised that the shots were coming from our house, but I was convinced that the sounds were something else.
“However, we decided to return to the house to ascertain whether what my friend heard were gunshots and what could have happened.
“On our way, we saw between three and four guys exiting the yard, but we didn’t see their faces. When we got to the house, we were shocked to see Lonwabo and his friends on the floor in a pool of blood. One of them was still breathing,” she said.
Limekhaya said they did not know the reason behind the shooting, and whether her brother and his friends were targeted.
Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen, who was “deeply shocked to learn of the mass shooting”, said three people losing their lives in such a brutal manner was unacceptable and uncalled for.
Allen urged anyone with information to contact police to ensure that the perpetrators were apprehended and brought to book.
“Gugulethu, where the murders occurred, has over time shown a consistent decrease in the murder rate. In fact, during the second quarter, (July-September 2022) of the 2022/23 financial year, murder decreased by more than 16%.
“This is in part due to the deployment of the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan officers who are present in this area. The more we work together to overcome crime, the fewer of these incidents will occur in our communities,” he said.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said the circumstances surrounding the incident were under investigation and no arrests were made.
“At this stage, it is too soon to speculate about a possible motive,” he said.
Any person who can shed light on the case is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or use the mobile application My SAPS.