Cape Town - A gang war in Mitchells Plain has claimed its youngest victim after a teen boy was shot and killed.
The 17-year-old was killed in a drive-by shooting in Beacon Valley on Friday in what relatives say was a gang hit.
Relatives admit Chad Thomas was part of a gang.
He was killed while he standing in front of his home in Swemmer Street and gunmen opened fire from a car.
Cops say the shots were fired just after 2:15pm.
It’s believed Chad is the sixth person to have died in an all-out gang war in Mitchells Plain that broke out on Saturday 19 August.
Blood has flowed in Lentegeur, New Woodlands and Beacon Valley since last week.
Rival gangs the Yakkies and Dixies in Lentegeur, and the Mongrels and Americans are blamed for the violence.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana confirms Chad’s death: “According to reports a 17-year-old male was shot and fatally wounded while standing in front of his house by unknown suspect[s]."
“A murder case was opened for investigation. No one has been arrested at this stage.”
Relatives of Chad, who asked not to be named for fear of their own safety, say they believe Chad was on a hit list, and the teen was not the killer’s first victim.
The family believes the same gunman is behind other shootings in the areas.
“Yes he was a gangster. [The killer] is the same person, the same gun and it’s retaliation,” the woman says.
On 19 August, cops were called to Tulip Street, Lentegeur where a man was fatally stabbed in the face.
On 21 August 21, a 50-year-old man was wounded during a shooting in the same street.
On 22 August, police visited a crime scene in Aloe Street, Lentegeur, where the body of Brandon Wiese was found.
The community said Brandon was innocent and not a gangster.
And on 23 August, a 27-year-old man was killed in Kennetjie Street, Beacon Valley, in what is believed to have been a gang-related attack.