A deadly wave of gun violence across the Cape Flats has left 11 people dead and two others injured, following three separate shooting incidents in Khayelitsha, Langa and Gugulethu.
The overnight attacks have prompted Western Cape police to increase deployments in the affected communities and other areas identified as potential crime hotspots.
The first shooting was reported in Lingelethu West, Khayelitsha, on Saturday night. Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said three men, aged 25, 31 and 35, were fatally shot.
A second incident followed in Phase 3, Langa, where five people were killed in a shooting.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, another attack was reported at the Potelwa informal settlement in Gugulethu. Two men and a woman were killed, while two other people were wounded.
Police have yet to establish what triggered the attacks. Investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding each shooting and whether there is any connection between the incidents.
Potelwa said police visibility and deployments have been stepped up in the affected areas and other potential hotspots as authorities seek to prevent further violence.
The incidents have once again placed the spotlight on gun violence in Cape Town’s vulnerable communities, while investigations continue into the killings.
Police are expected to gather further information as detectives process the various crime scenes and work to identify those responsible.
