Cape Town – A shocking video of a suspected gang hit has surfaced on social media showing a man being mercilessly gunned down in Lavender Hill, Cape Town, while a toddler runs for his life.
The incident happened on Saturday shortly after 10am on the corner of St Bernard Crescent and St Blaise Street.
The clip, which appears to have been captured by a CCTV camera, shows three gunmen arriving in a silver car, getting out and firing a hail of bullets on a man identified as “Aggies”.
In the recording, which lasts just over 30 seconds, a little boy is seen walking to a man sitting on the pavement when the car drives by.
Three gunmen are seen running towards a man nearby, who falls after the first shot is fired.
As those in the street are seen scattering, the man with the toddler jumps up and runs away, leaving the child behind.
The boy, who still has a dummy in his mouth, is seen running after him as two gunmen continue to pump bullets into Aggies at close range and the third one, in a blue hoodie, starts shooting at the fleeing man, not caring about the toddler.
Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut says the circumstances surrounding the murder of the 21-year-old man are under investigation by Steenberg police. He says a 20-year man was shot and injured in the same incident.
The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. Cases of murder and attempted murder were opened for investigation, said Traut.
According to a police source, the shooting was a gang hit.
“The guy who was shot is part of the Flakka Boys. They have been in constant conflict with the Junky Funky Kids gang since the breakaway in 2018.”
The source explains that after the leader of the Funkys, John Adams, was allegedly killed by members of his own gang, a splinter group called the Flakka Boys was formed.
This group was led by Jamiel “Chara” Jacobs, who vowed to kill members of the Funkys and embarked on a killing spree, but in December 2018 the Anti-Gang Unit traced him to Paarl where he was arrested.
“Chara has been in prison ever since and the biggest problem is that the Flakkas don’t have any leadership so they just run around killing,” says the source.
“This shooting comes after another leader of the Funkys was killed in Seawinds a few weeks ago.”
Community Police Forum chairperson, Gavin Walbrugh says they have not yet received a formal report on the incident.
"The video is very disturbing that these guys don’t consider anyone. We are grateful that the child was not harmed, but it shows how cheap life is on the Cape Flats.”