At least three people have died in Hillview, Lavender Hill, last week in incidents that could possibly be gang related.
A concerned Hillview resident who contacted Southern Mail said her neighbourhood is shattered with shootings and murders, on a “daily basis”.
The woman, who did not want to be named because she fears being targeted by gangsters, said she did not know where else to go to when she contacted Southern Mail, and said she had “no confidence in Muizenberg SAPS”, to protect their area.
She said for the past few months Hillview has been under attack, and last week people died there during shootings which take place every day. She said there are times when shootings are not reported to the police because many of the people involved in shooting incidents are gangsters. She also claimed the police are not tak-
ing action to prevent these
crimes.
However, Captain Stephen Knapp, spokesperson for Muizenberg police, said they are dependent on information received from the community. “We appeal to the community to provide such information so that successes can be achieved. Our deployment is ongoing and supplemented by Operation Thunder.”
Operation Thunder is a SAPS intervention launched by Police Minister Bheki Cele in May which consists of members from specialised units from other provinces, to deal with crime in the Western Cape.
While the woman listed fatal shootings from Monday July 16 to Wednesday July 18, Captain Knapp could only confirm three incidents on Tuesday July 17. Two residents, aged 28 and 37, died of gunshot wounds after being shot in Amatola Road, Hillview, just before 7pm.
Another shooting of a 30-year-old Seawinds resident, who was shot in St Titus Road, was also confirmed. “He died on his way to hospital. The deceased was reported to have been a taxi driver,” said Captain Knapp.
Captain Knapp said they are investigating the possibility that the incidents are gang related.
He also made an appeal to the broader community. “We would like to request that the community refrain from attacking the police when they are attending crime scenes or patrolling in the area and that they also refrain from making false statements and spreading fake news.”