A reading room for children in Bonteheuwel has been shut down following the shooting of two dik ding gangsters on Sunday night.
Police say shortly before 6pm, more than 10 shots were fired at two skollies standing at a shop in Bonteheuwel Avenue.
‘WISHED HE ALSO DIED’: A wounded Luciano Fransch, 25. Photo: AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA)
Lorenzo Maclula, 25, was killed while Luciano Fransch, 25, was hit in the stomach and rushed to hospital.
According to a source, the two men are part of the Hard Livings gang and were shot by rival gangsters.
“They are both well-known HLs in the area and were standing at the shop. At this stage it is not known if it was a drive-by, but there were 12 cartridges and four projectiles on the scene,” says the source.
Residents at the scene, who did not want to be identified, told the Daily Voice they are gatvol of the shootings and “wished Luciano had also died”.
TERROR: Lorenzo Maclula,25, was gunned down innie Bontas. Photo: AFRICAN NEWS AGENCY (ANA)
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut, says: “Two men, both aged 25, were shot. One was killed and the other one wounded. Cases of murder and attempted murder have been registered. The unknown suspects fled and are yet to be arrested. The circumstances are being investigated.”
Ward councillor, Angus McKenzie, says the Reading Room is located near where the shooting took place and will now be closed temporarily.
He says each day two women employed by the City of Cape Town meet with up to 60 school children where they read with them and help with homework.
“They work in conjunction with the Walking Buses and the project dates back to 2016,” McKenzie explains.
“Every day between 8am and 12pm, they work at the schools, then when the schools start coming out at about 1pm, they go to the Reading Room to help the children.
“As we fear there may be retaliation shootings, we are concerned about the safety of the children and it will be closed for now.”
McKenzie says the community is becoming frustrated as services are being affected by the ongoing violence.
“The two guys shot were quite prominent (gangsters) and we cannot risk the safety of children and staff (by keeping the Reading Room open).
“We will assess the situation later in the week to see if it can be reopened. The community is becoming highly frustrated because services are starting to be affected and the lack of police resources is a big issue,” he says.