UNDER SEIGE

TAFELSIG residents were left reeling after two teens were killed in a drive-by shooting on Tuesday night. 

The incident on the corner of Platteklip Street and Cable Way also left another critically wounded and the Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF) has now issued an urgent call for a commission of inquiry into gang-related violence.

According to police reports, the victims - two males aged 18 and 19 - were gunned down while standing in the road. A third male was seriously injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said investigations are under way and added that the motive for the attack is believed to be linked to gang activity.

Police say a Toyota Etios drove past the group and opened fire before speeding away. The attack is believed to be gang-related.

Chairperson of the Mitchells Plain CPF Norman Jantjies said the community is under siege and the violence is affecting households across the suburb.

The CPF is calling for structural interventions, accountability, and community mobilisation underscores the urgency of addressing the deep-rooted causes of gang violence.

He has called for urgent collaboration between law enforcement agencies and residents to tackle the spiralling crisis.

Jantjies says: “We as the CPF are very concerned because these shootings and killings are going on unabated, and it looks like it is the whole of Mitchells Plain that is affected.

“We feel more needs to be done by the law enforcement agencies. We need increased visibility and profiling of all the gangsters and make sure that we have the number plate detection and cameras. We note that most shooters drive to their targets.”

With the members of the community reluctant to come forward as witnesses, citing fear and intimidation, Jantjies called for the help of technology, such as license plate recognition and street cameras to close the information gap and assist police in identifying suspects.

He adds: “We have a problem with people refusing to be witnesses. We need cameras to assist us in identifying the perpetrators.

“This impacts every household in Mitchells Plain. We repeat our call that we need a commission of inquiry to look into this ongoing gang violence that we are faced with. It goes right from prevention and detection to prosecution.”

The CPF chair also expressed frustration over a pattern of cases being withdrawn in court, allowing perpetrators to escape justice.

Jantjies says: “We have another problem of cases being withdrawn at court, and this means that people are getting away with murder.”

Anyone with information about the incident to come forward anonymously by contacting Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or using the MySAPS mobile application.