Cape Town - Vrygrond remains tense following a spate of murders over the weekend and Monday.
Gang-related violence in the area has left residents afraid to leave their homes. Shootings erupted at the taxi rank on Monday, with one person confirmed dead.
Police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed the deaths of two known gang members after they succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds on Friday.
On Saturday, three people were killed, including a taxi driver, and a known gang member.
Gunfire continued to ring out on Sunday, with many taxis unwilling to enter the area, leaving commuters stranded over the weekend.
Van Wyk said a 72-hour activation plan was ordered for the arrest of the suspects.
Ward councillor Mandy Marr said it was the death of an individual close to a gang leader that allegedly prompted the killings, leaving residents terrified.
“This is not the kind of thing that usually happens in Vrygrond. We have had a large number of shootings in Hillview, Seawinds side, but Vrygrond has largely been quite quiet and one of the big reasons is that there is only one gang and that gang is the Junky Funky. So we’re not seeing the gang wars that we see in the other areas but this specific one is between the taxis and the gangs.”
Marr said residents have called her to say they do not feel it’s safe to leave their homes, pleading for intervention from the defence force.
“That's how bad it’s been because the shooting has been awful, it’s like a war zone,” Marr said.
A possible reason for the tension could be territory, Marr said.
Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said Cata had not received any information relating to the tensions in Vrygrond.
Spokesperson to Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell, Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka, said the police were investigating the incident and have not confirmed whether it is linked to taxi-industry related violence.
The department called on the police and the National Prosecuting Authority to bring the criminals involved to book.
Anyone with any information about the shootings is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.