Cape Town authorities have intensified anti-gang operations following a deadly mass shooting in Lotus River that claimed the lives of four men and left another seriously wounded on Thursday night.
The shooting occurred at the corner of Nita and Olga Streets, where five men were reportedly seated outside a residential block of flats when they came under attack.
According to Western Cape police spokesperson Novela Potelwa, a vehicle carrying several occupants arrived at the scene before the suspects got out and opened fire on the group.
“The five victims were sitting in front of a residential block of flats when a vehicle with several occupants emerged. The occupants alighted from the vehicle and fired shots in the direction of the victims,” Potelwa said.
The four deceased victims were aged between 32 and 44 years old. A fifth victim sustained serious injuries and was transported for medical treatment.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the motive for the attack is gang-related. Detectives attached to the Anti-Gang Unit have launched an investigation and are searching for those responsible.
Police have since reinforced deployments in the Grassy Park policing precinct in an effort to prevent further incidents of violence.
The latest mass shooting has prompted renewed calls for stronger measures to combat gang activity on the Cape Flats.
Western Cape Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais said the persistent shootings and senseless killings in gang-affected communities require extraordinary intervention from law enforcement agencies.
Marais said it has become increasingly clear that conventional policing methods alone are not sufficient to address the entrenched gang violence that continues to plague many communities.
She urged authorities to urgently review and strengthen strategies aimed at disarming criminal gangs and disrupting their operations.
The MEC also appealed to residents to work closely with law enforcement by reporting information relating to illegal firearms, gang activity, and individuals who harbour criminals.
“Communities possess valuable information that can assist authorities in locating weapons and bringing offenders to justice,” Marais said.
Meanwhile, police have made a significant firearms-related arrest in Belhar as part of ongoing efforts to curb gang violence across the province.
A 67-year-old man, believed to have links to a local gang and suspected of operating as a gunsmith, was arrested during an intelligence-driven Operation Lockdown 3 raid.
Police officers searched a property in Hughes Street, Belhar, where they discovered a safe containing an AK-47 rifle, a Citadel 12-gauge shotgun and an undisclosed amount of cash.
Further searches led to the recovery of three firearm scopes and additional rounds of ammunition.
The suspect has been charged with possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition and is expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court soon.
Authorities say the arrest forms part of broader efforts to remove illegal weapons from communities and disrupt the networks that fuel gang-related violence across the Cape Flats.
