Cape Town - As the weekend beckons, fear and uncertainty remains high among tavern goers in Harare and Makhaya locations in Khayelitsha.
This follows the random shootings which claimed the lives of 2 people, leaving 17 others injured last weekend. Video footage shows men entering the establishments, gun in hand and some of the patrons fleeing the scene while others were trapped, unable to escape the flaring gunshots.
Security guards as well as some patrons were searched for their belongings while they lay on the floor begging for their lives.
Nonceba Lonzi who was at Solly’s Tavern at the time of the shooting said she was still shocked and does not know how she survived.
“We did not notice anything until we heard people screaming. The music was loud so my friends and I only realised something was wrong when we saw others running. I do not know how we managed to get out but I am just thankful that we did. No one knows why the guys came in shooting but it has scared many people,” she said.
Lonzi said she enjoyed partying and going to local taverns was economical for her. “I don’t have a car and none of my friends do either, so partying close to home is convenient and cheaper for us. Now if things like this happen, where are we to unwind on weekends,” she asked.
The visibly shaken 32-year-old mother of two said she was unsure if she would be going out partying any time soon.
Mandla Matshoba from Site B was not at the tavern during the shooting but told Weekend Argus he had heard about it.
“I am not a tavern goer but I heard people in the area talk about the shooting. I am not sure if it was related to fights between people at taverns or it was a random act of robbery which just happened to take place where people were drinking and partying. I certainly feel less safe, crime in the area is definently increasing especially now that winter is upon us. It is scary, we need more police visibility and arrests need to be made in this,” said the 25-year-old man.
In the most recent crime statistics, there were 192 murders recorded in Khayelitsha in 2018, an increase from 2017’s 179.
This is not the first time that gunmen have entered and opened fire at patrons at a tavern in Khayelitsha. In 2013, five people were shot dead and three others wounded when a man opened fire at a tavern owned by SABC 2’s former Stokvel actor Ntobeko Rwanqa – who played the part of Budget Naledi.
According to police spokeswoman, Noloyiso Rwexana police are still following up on leads with no arrests so far. However, a “provincial task team comprising organised crime detectives is working around the clock pursuing leads.
“At a tavern in Site B Khayelitsha, nine unknown suspects stormed in and open fire at patrons, killing a 28-year-old woman and injured 13 victims. And five hours later, a gunman opened fire fatally wounding a 25-year-old man in Harare.
Rwexana could not confirm if police visibility would be increased in the area this weekend and could also not confirm the motive for the two tavern shootings.