By Anita Dangazele
Residents of Khayelitsha in Cape Town have been devastated following a mass shooting at a barber shop that led to the deaths of three children and one adult.
According to the community, a taxi stopped in front of the barber shop in Khayelitsha’s Site C, a group of armed men got out and stormed into the salon.
“They allegedly asked the people who were inside, most of whom were children, who among them had a gun and when they didn’t answer the men began shooting,” a resident said.
Western Cape police spokesperson Andre Traut said two of three children died at the scene along with a 30-year-old man.
He said the third child died in hospital on Saturday. He was admitted along with sixteen other victims who sustained injuries during Saturday’s mass shooting.
The children killed in the incident were aged 12, 11 and the youngest victim was five years old.
“Three children were admitted to hospital. The five-year-old later succumbed to to his injuries. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be caught. The motive for the incident is not yet known,” Traut said.
Section A community leader Raymond Qoba said members of the community were feeling unsafe after the incident.
“We are going to consult the community to come together and then we will call the police. Maybe Mr Bheki Cele can make a plan to give us a lot of police in this area and soldiers because obviously we are not safe. We are not safe in this area – totally not safe,” said Qoba.
MEC for Community Safety and Police Oversight in the province, Reagen Allen has called on anyone with information relating to the mass murder to come forward.
“This murderous incident is horrific and angers me deeply, particularly with the number of young people senselessly murdered and wounded.
“These heartless criminals have absolutely no regard for life. We need to make sure that they are quickly arrested so that a conviction can follow. Life should never be this cheap,” Allen said.
Pictured above: The barber shop where the mass shooting took place in Kwagga street, Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Source: X
