“When I got out of my shack I found a dead man on my stoep.”
These were the words of a shocked Mbekweni resident after three suspected livestock thieves were mysteriously shot and killed in the area on Sunday.
SAPS Organised Crime detectives have since initiated an investigation into the murders of the three men, aged 30, 33 and 40.
Residents in Sakhelwe Street in Paarl were woken after 4am by the sounds of gunshots echoing through the quiet area.
Mense say none of the victims lived in the yard they were killed in.
One man was lying in front of a shack, another was in a car and another victim was inside the shack where they had stored the stolen meat.
The trio had arrived in the area around 4am in two cars, a VW Polo sedan and a bakkie.
A female resident says she waited until it was quiet before she could investigate: “When I came out of my shack I found a dead man on my stoep,” she says.
“This was quite shocking, no one can ever prepare to find a dead man when they open their homes.
“Before I went back into my shack I saw a lot of meat in front of the main house. I waited for the police to arrive, and then I sort of felt safe but they told us to remain indoors.”
She only came out of her home at noon again.
“We had to wait until the police wrapped up the scene and the bodies were taken and the meat was also confiscated.”
Another resident tells the Daily Voice the men were livestock thieves.
“It was an open secret, they would go to farms as far as Malmesbury, slaughter the cows and then come back to the township to sell the meat,” the resident explains.
“They would have buckets and big containers with them, they had been doing this for a while.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirms the incident and says cops are looking for the killers.
“Mbekweni Police were called out to Sakhelwe Street at approximately 5.10am where they discovered the bodies with multiple gunshot wounds,” she says.
“The ages of the deceased persons are 30, 33 and 40.
“Their identities will be released once their next of kin have been informed.”