Cape Town - Another life has been claimed by the on-going gang violence crippling the Heideveld community as a man unaffiliated to gangsterism was shot multiple times in the face only to lie outside for hours because residents were in fear of leaving their homes.
Muneeb Mia, 38, was shot and killed in the early hours of Saturday morning after armed gunmen prowled through the neighbourhood in search of their next victim.
According to residents, Mia had been visiting a friend a few metres away from his home when he was gunned down on Friday evening, but his body had only been discovered Saturday morning on the corner of Linda Court.
He was declared dead on the scene after he was shot multiple times in the face. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident was under investigation.
“Manenberg police were called to the crime scene, where they found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds to his face. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by paramedics.
“The motive for the shooting has yet to be established. The suspect/s fled the scene and are yet to be arrested,” he said.
CPF chairperson Vernon Visage confirmed that Mia was not involved in gangsterism. He said the way gangsterism worked in the area was that younger recruits were given orders by leaders in other areas.
“The problem is those staying in the area, in Heideveld, they are not in charge. They accept commands from somewhere else. The big boss gives the orders to say ‘we don’t want to hear about peace talks’ and they accept,” he said.
Meanwhile, Western Cape police have arrested more than 600 people as they crack down on guns in the city.
Twigg said: “Western Cape detectives conducted tracing operations during the week and arrested 635 wanted suspects.”
The arrests come after the institution of what has been called “Operation Restore”, which according to police is aimed making inroads in communities who are vulnerable to gang violence as they are ridding the streets of firearms in the hands of criminals.
In Hanover Park, the Anti-Gang Unit also made headway as a 29-year-old was arrested after reports of a shooting. The suspect was found with a 9mm pistol and was expected to appear in Athlone Magistrate’s Court today.
Twigg said, a 36-year-old man was arrested in Langa as part of an intelligence driven operation.
“The members of the provincial extortion task team were busy with an intelligence-driven operation and during the search found three firearm magazines with ammunition, 1 000 mandrax tablets, 1 200 ecstasy tablets and 1 000 units of heroin,” he said.
A white vehicle that had been stolen during a robbery in Kirstenhof and a trailer were also recovered on the premises.