22 dead, 16 injured in weekend of violence on Cape Flats
Between Friday and Sunday, multiple violent incidents were reported in areas include Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Lavender Hill, Delft, Bonteheuwel, Seawinds, Elsies River, Kraaifontein and Philippi.
Image: File Picture: Henk Kruger
A violent weekend across Cape Flats communities has left at least 22 people dead and 16 critically injured.
Between Friday and Sunday, multiple incidents were reported. Worst affected areas include Mitchells Plain, Manenberg, Lavender Hill, Delft, Bonteheuwel, Seawinds, Elsies River, Kraaifontein and Philippi.
In Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, two people were shot and one killed on Friday night.
The same evening, a husband and wife were ambushed and shot at a fuel station in Manenberg, the wife later succumbed to her injuries.
On Saturday, a 19-year-old was shot dead in Lavender Hill’s Aspeling Court, while a woman was gunned down in Clarke Estate, Elsies River.
In Delft, another man was found shot dead in Aerobat Road.
By Sunday, the violence had spread to the West Coast when a man was shot dead in Malmesbury. In Bonteheuwel, a father was stabbed to death by his son in Almond Street.
In Lotus River, five people were shot, leaving one dead and four in critical condition. Other shootings were recorded in Beacon Valley, Heideveld, Maitland and Eastridge.
The African Congress for Change (A.C.C.) called for a state of emergency. A.C.C president Masizole Mnqasela said communities were “under siege” and accused government of losing control of public safety.
“Gang violence has escalated beyond the capacity of normal policing. The state must act before communities collapse under fear,” Mnqasela said.
“These incidents clearly show that the region is under siege,” Mnqasela said.
The A.C.C. is demanding that government declare a state of emergency on the Cape Flats, modelled on the COVID-19 lockdowns, but aimed at crushing gang violence.
The party proposes a nightly curfew in high-crime zones, restricted movement in and out of gang hotspots, rapid police deployment squads, supported by the defence force, mandatory roadblocks and checkpoints, community lockdown protocols to reinforce safety and fast-tracked prosecutions for violent offenders
The A.C.C. urged national and provincial governments to act with urgency, saying residents were being abandoned to relentless violence.
“We refuse to accept a future in which the Cape Flats becomes a silent graveyard for our youth and neighbours. We demand action, we demand justice, and we demand protection,” said Mnqasela.