Cape Town: The weekend came to a tragic end, as two people lost their lives within a space of a few hours.
On Sunday night, a 29-year-old man was shot and killed in Oliver Tambo Drive, in Manenberg. An activist against crime and violence in the Western Cape, Roegshanda Pascoe said: “A murder like that is always gang-related. Where the gang member has been taken out for some reason or the other, or for a rule that he has broken in the gang.
“The other can be a robbery, where his perpetrators have killed him. It is very sad that this has transpired. Safety and security is not even being looked at in an area like Manenberg. The environment in the area allows crime and murders to happen, and that is what we should fight in areas like Manenberg.
“Children from as young as seven are being roped into gangs. If we are not going to offer alternatives, we are going to end up in trouble. Political parties have never had the interests of our people at heart, they push their political agendas and the plight of the people is not addressed,” she added.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel André Traut said: “Last night, at around 9.30pm, a 29-year-old man was shot and killed in Oliver Tambo Drive, in Manenberg, by an unknown suspect who is yet to be arrested. The circumstances are being investigated.”
Meanwhile, a few hours earlier, the charred remains of an unidentified woman was found on a field, behind Washington Drive Primary School, in Colorado Park, Mitchells Plain.
Lentegeur community policing forum (CPF) chairperson Byron de Villiers said, from his understanding, the unidentified woman was dragged to where she was set alight and the body was found by someone who was passing through that area, which is allegedly often used as a short cut.
“We feel more should be done to stop this genocide against women and children.We feel that there should be dedicated courts dealing with gender-based violence (GBV) and harsh sentences should be carried out,” he said.
SAPS spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said: “Lentegeur police are investigating a murder case, after the burned body of an unknown woman was found on Sunday, at about 9am, on an open field behind a primary school in Colorado.
“Anyone with information regarding this incident can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or on the MySAPSApp.”
Weekend Argus