A 14-year-old Tafelsig boy died in a shooting in Vancouver Street on Thursday October 10, followed by two more fatal shootings in Beacon Valley and Tafelsig on Sunday. Two months ago, six young people died in three shootings in Tafelsig, Rocklands and Beacon Valley.
It has been another weekend of terror for residents of Tafelsig and Beacon Valley, which have been gripped in ongoing gang-related shootings for months.
On Thursday October 10, a 14-year-old boy died in a hail of bullets in Vancouver Street, in an apparent gang-related attack. Two young men, aged 19 and 20, were also injured in the shooting and were taken to Mitchell’s Plain district hospital.
On Sunday October 13, a 28-year-old man died in an alleged gang-related shooting in a park in Korfbal Street, Beacon Valley.
Later that evening, a 36-year-old man was killed, and two men, aged 27 and 46 were injured in another Tafelsig shooting, this time in Ararat Street.
On Monday October 14, police responded to another scene in Tafelsig, where residents found the body of a 24-year-old-man on a field in Waaihoek Street. He had a stab wound in his upper chest and died on the scene.
Colonel Henry Pietersen, acting station commander and detectives head at Mitchell’s Plain police station, said no arrests have been made in any of the shootings or the stabbing.
He appealed to residents to come forward with information that can lead to arrests. “There is gang tension all over in Mitchell’s Plain, with areas like Rocklands, Beacon Valley and Tafelsig being among the crime hotspots. For us, the community’s safety comes first.
“However, one of the biggest hindrances at this stage is the community turning a blind eye to the shootings. We urge the community to come forward with any information. We know that they are afraid of being victimised, but they are a big part of crime prevention. Without them we have nothing.
“The community is welcome to contact me directly on 079 894 1763, or to make an appointment. All information will be treated as confidential,” Colonel Pietersen said.
Benji Williams, deputy chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain community police forum (CPF), said shootings are getting out of hand in Mitchell’s Plain.
“Crime has flared up again in Tafelsig and Beacon Valley. The community’s safety is suffering, including innocent children. Every day the perpetrators are walking free while our innocent children are being shot and killed,” she said.
Ms Williams called on increased police, law enforcement and neighbourhood watch presence in the hotspots.
“We really need more interventions from other police unit, metro police and law enforcement intervention in Mitchell’s Plain. Last night, police vehicles were on scene in Tafelsig but the shootings continued. The police presence did not deter the gangsters – they were not even scared of the police.
“We ask the community to join the safety structures and to assist us with information to bring the perpetrators to book. We need the community to be the eyes and ears of the police, and to be the community in blue doing walks through our areas like before.
“We also urge them to be alert and careful when sending their children to tuck shops, or school and going to work,” Ms Williams said.
Colonel Andrè Traut, provincial police spokesperson, said gangsterism, and serious and violent crimes are high on the Western Cape police’s priority list. “A number of operational strategies are applied to quell the violence in gang affected areas in the province.
“Besides the province’s anti-gang strategy, Operation Shanela comprising Operation Restore and Lockdown III deployments, the anti-gang unit and emergency response units such as the K9 and flying squad and public order police are supplementing the respective station contingents to increase policing and tackle the situation on hand,” Colonel Traut outlined.
He added that senior detectives have been assigned to investigate violent crimes to achieve successful prosecutions in addition to the operational deployments.
JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security, said the City’s law enforcement and metro police departments are supporting the police. The City recently signed a cooperation agreement with the police and provincial department of police oversight and community safety.
“The agreement formalises a commitment by all three spheres of government to work together to improve safety in Cape Town for all residents and work together to combat illegal firearm related crime and organised crime. This is making progress, even though it is taking some time,” he said.
Mr Smith said the City has made its CCTV surveillance and drone technology available to the police, and is supporting the neighbourhood watches in Mitchell’s Plain with equipment, training and resources.
He said it has also invested in manpower to reduce the number of illegal firearms on the streets in Mitchell’s Plain through its Law Enforcement Advancement Programme (LEAP) project.
“We call on the national minister to increase the policing powers of law enforcement and metro police as part of the cooperation agreement to ensure we can play an even bigger role in the fight against gangsterism,” Mr Smith said.
The Plainsman reached out to the City for real data on the number LEAP officers it has on the ground in Mitchell’s Plain and how, if at all, the added manpower, drone technology and CCTV surveillance have resulted in actual arrests, confiscations of drugs and weapons, and reducing crime in recent months. It could not provide any specifics at the time of publishing.
Residents can report criminal activities to the police’s 10111 line and the City’s public emergency communication centre on 021 480 7700 from a cellphone and 107 from a landline.