Police swoop on suspects linked to mass shooting over ‘extortion’ in Cape Town

Police information indicates that at least two armed men were involved, says provincial police commissioner

03 December 2024 - 17:19 By Samane Jnr Marks
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Scene of the shooting where five people succumbed to their injuries at Mfuleni in Cape Town.
BLOODBATH Scene of the shooting where five people succumbed to their injuries at Mfuleni in Cape Town.
Image: Samane Jnr Marks

A bloodstained, bullet-riddled mattress leaning against a white, two-room shack serves as a grim reminder of a mass killing in a crime-ridden township. 

Five people died in a hail of bullets in Madikizela informal settlement, in Mfuleni, Cape Town, on Sunday. A day later, crowds of curious and bewildered residents were milling about outside.

A heavy police presence, led by provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile, had descended on the crime scene. The incident comes a week after provincial crime statistics revealed an 8% drop in the Western Cape murder rate between July and September. 

Patekile said police information indicated that at least two armed men were involved — one carrying an automatic rifle and the other a handgun.  

“We were made aware that the perpetrators were searching for a leader of an extortion group,” said Patekile. “Upon arriving at the shack, they encountered acquaintances of the targeted individual and opened fire.” 

Police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said provincial serious violent crime investigators supported by intelligence operatives arrested four suspects aged between 29 and 35. 

“As part of the investigation, vital intelligence also led the team to a location where they recovered four firearms and rounds of ammunition. The confiscated firearms will undergo ballistics testing to determine if they were used in the commission of the Mfuleni murders or any other crime,” said Potelwa.

Patekile said one of the men who was gunned down had lived in the shack.  

“We have spoken with the family and learnt that the owner of the (shack) was tragically killed alongside his friends,” he said.   

“Preliminary indications suggest that the motive behind the mass shooting was extortion-related. As our investigation unfolds, we expect to uncover additional motives behind this shooting crime.” 

Patekile said the owner of the shack had a “pending criminal case in court” and two other victims had prior “drug-related cases, with one facing an attempted murder charge.  

“However, these cases had already being addressed through the courts,” he said.  

Patekile said 10 people were killed over the weekend.  

“In Mfuleni's Madikizela informal settlement, five lives were lost on Sunday afternoon at about 1.30pm, he said. 

“In Extension 2, Mfuleni, a shooting incident resulted in one fatality and two injuries, including a 12-year-old who was rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand. Another incident in Elsies River saw three people stabbed to death. The remaining incidents occurred in the Cape Flats.”

Patekile reflected on the quarterly crime statistics, noting that police faced a new challenge.  “It was a shock to our commitment to stabilising high-crime areas, including Mfuleni, Delft, Philippi East, Kraaifontein, Nyanga and Elsies River,” he said.   

“These areas are among the top five high-crime zones in the province, and the police are working to contain the situation.” 


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