By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African Police Services (SAPS) are investigating three double murder shooting incidents that took place in Kraaifotein, in the Western Cape.
These incidents have spurred a heightened sense of urgency among local law enforcement as they work to uncover the motives behind these attacks.
The latest incident occurred on Tuesday night, 9 September 2025, around 11:30pm, when two young women, aged 19 and 25, were shot and killed in Molefe Street, Wallacedene. A third victim, a 24-year-old, was left critically injured.
Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg reported that police responded promptly to the scene, where medical personnel declared the two deceased victims dead on site, while the injured woman was transported to a nearby medical facility for immediate treatment.
This was followed by two shootings in Wallacedene the following day.
“Two of the victims, between the ages of 19 and 25, were found fatally wounded with gunshot wounds when police attended the crime scene at Molefe Street, “said Twigg.
“They were declared dead on the scene by medical personnel. A third victim, aged 24, was found shot at the scene and rushed to the hospital for urgent care.”
In another incident, two more females in their twenties were shot and killed in Taleman Street.
“The victims were found after police received a shooting complaint. Upon arrival, both victims were found inside a bedroom with gunshot wounds to their heads,” added Twigg.
The acting minister of police, Firoz Cachalia, said the intelligence-driven capabilities needed to combat gang violence and organised crime in the Western Cape.
Cachalia, joined by Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel, Deputy Police Minister Polly Boshielo and National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, was speaking after meeting with stakeholders in Mitchells Plain and Mfuleni, two Cape Town areas that suffer from high levels of gang-related crime.
The engagements formed part of the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Clusters drive to roll out practical, community-led interventions against gang violence, strengthen interdepartmental cooperation and build lasting partnerships with affected communities.
Crime statistics for the fourth quarter of the 2024/2025 financial year — from 1 January to 31 March 2025 — highlight the prevalence of illegal guns in these mass shootings.
Cachalia said the proliferation of gangs and the surge in contact crimes had entrenched gang violence across the Western Cape.
“The country is under siege by criminals and gangs. They are the ones who are selling drugs, making a fortune. We are dealing with people who are running big businesses, maybe it includes top officials — that makes it even worse.
“We have to deal with the problems of drugs and I want to see the druglords and these organised criminals smashed, they have raids and we have to attack them,” he added.
The problem, Cachalia said, “is that there is no proper plan in Cape Town to deal with gang violence in the province. I spoke with the national police commissioner about what needs to be done. When I arrived in Cape Town, I also met with Provincial Commissioner Thembisile Patekile and the head of Crime Intelligence.
“The truth is that the capabilities required for intelligence-driven operations to defeat the scourge of gang violence and organised crime are still not fully in place.”
He said that while gang violence had long been entrenched in communities, it had now escalated into a form of organised transnational crime.
Cachalia has promised that there will be a report back and that drastic measures will be taken to tackle gang violence and the proliferation of firearms.