· Residents say the attack was linked to extortion groups who target business owners on the Cape Flats.
· Police confirmed three counts of murder and two attempted murders have been opened, but no arrests have been made.
The township of Nyanga was thrown into panic on Friday when gunfire broke out at the corner of Klipfontein and Borcherds Quarry roads.
When the shots rang out, terrified residents scattered. One woman said she was coming from work when the gunfire started.
“I could not tell where the shots were coming from until I saw people running. I had to run for my life,” she said.
When the area went quiet, she returned and found bodies on the ground.
“It was sad seeing people lying in pools of blood. People said the shooting had everything to do with extortionists,” she said.
Another resident, Lulama Njangaza, said extortion gangs were destroying communities across the Cape Flats.
“We have a problem of extortionists. There are so many groups fighting for money from business people. The group that collects first will be hunted by another,” said Njangaza.
He said the government was failing to protect residents.
“The sad part is that innocent business people who refuse to pay are being killed. To our government, it is normal and not a priority,” he said.
Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed officers found three bodies at separate scenes, all with gunshot wounds.
Two other men, aged 19 and 31, were rushed to hospital. The dead men were 19, 31 and 44 years old.
Van Wyk said: “Police have registered three counts of murder and two attempted murders. The motive is under investigation by serious and violent crime detectives.”
No one has been arrested.
Pictured above: Five people shot in Nyanga township, Cape Town.
Image source: Supplied
