Police arrest suspect in Kraaifontein shooting spree

Police have made a breakthrough following the killing of six people, four women and two men, in Kraaifontein in less than 24 hours.

A 49-year-old suspect was arrested in the suburb, and the firearm allegedly used in the attacks was recovered from a shop owned by a foreign national. Three other foreign nationals, including the shop owner, were also arrested for possession of the illegal firearm and ammunition, which has been sent for ballistics testing.

National Commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed that the arrests are currently linked to one double murder of two women, while police continue conducting identity parades and following leads to determine connections to the other killings.

“Our members are still on the ground; we cannot rule out the possibility of effecting more arrests in this case,” Masemola said.

Western Cape police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed that investigators are probing the motive behind the attacks.

“Kraaifontein police are investigating three double murders in separate shooting incidents on Monday and Tuesday,” he said.

The first attack occurred at about 11.30pm on Monday in Molefe Street, Wallacedene, where two women, aged 19 and 25, were shot dead and a third woman, 24, was wounded.

“Police members attended the crime scene, where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies. The 19- and 25-year-old victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel, while the 24-year-old victim was taken to a medical facility for treatment,” Twigg said.

Ten minutes later, police were called to Taleman Street, also in Wallacedene.

“Two females in their twenties were shot and fatally wounded. Upon arrival on the scene, they found the victims inside a bedroom with gunshot wounds to their heads. Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The possibility that these incidents are linked is not ruled out,” Twigg added.

Meanwhile, on Monday, at around 9.50pm, two men aged 20 and 22 were gunned down in an unrelated shooting at the corner of 9th Avenue and Verster Street, Eikendal.

Sisila said the CPF was deeply concerned about the spate of shootings.

“Every day we step on blood. We are seeking the motive behind these attacks. The police always come after the fact. The community should assist, but they don’t come forward. I think they could be scared because they don’t trust the police, they are afraid that the police they talk to could be linked to the shooters. We need to mend those relationships.”

He said Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile had recently addressed residents at an imbizo, but attendance was poor.

“According to our safety plan, we are going to zoom into the hotspot areas, encourage them to report crime confidentially,” Sisila explained.

He added that hotspots were concentrated in informal settlements where poor lighting and narrow roads made policing difficult.

South African Communist Party (SACP) provincial secretary Benson Ngqentsu also called for urgent intervention.

“The alarming surge in violent crime and firearm usage as a weapon of choice in Kraaifontein demands immediate attention. As a deployed Member of Parliament by our movement, I invite Acting Minister Prof Cachalia to visit the area’s hotspots before concluding his provincial visit. Kraaifontein consistently ranks among the top 30 police stations with high murder rates.

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Cape Argus