Violent ambush on Voortrekker Road leaves two dead and two injured
A hail of bullets rocked Voortrekker Road on Saturday afternoon, claiming the lives of two men.
Bystanders ran for cover as unknown gunmen opened fire on five men inside a silver VW Polo vehicle, in what police believe to be a gang-related incident.
Two men were shot and killed in the shooting, another two victims were injured and rushed to hospital for medical treatment and a fifth victim was able to escape the attack unharmed.
The men were sitting in a parked silver VW Polo in Voortrekker Road in the Goodwood Precinct when they were allegedly ambushed.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi reported that the Anti-Gang Unit are investigating two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Swartbooi said: 'Detectives of the Anti-Gang Unit are hard at work in a bid to apprehend those responsible for the death of two males and the attempt to kill three others.
'Reports suggest that the occupants of a Silver VW Polo on Voortrekker Road on Saturday when unknown armed men opened fire.
'Two men did not survive the onslaught on their lives whilst two others were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and another male escaped unharmed.
'The unknown suspects fled the scene and they are yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is believed to be gang related.'
Abdallah Sydney, Chairperson of the Goodwood Community Police Forum (CPF) said they do not have much information at this stage, but all they know is that two gangs are involved and one was trying to take out the members of the rival gang.
Footage of the incident has emerged on social media and shows the bullet-riddled vehicle as police attend to the scene. One video shows countless amounts of bullet casings lying on the ground.
This shooting comes weeks after the killing of alleged underworld kingpin Andre Naude, who was also shot and killed on the same Voortrekker Road strip on June 12.
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Five men were ambushed while in VW Silver Polo.
Bronwin Daniels from the Parow CPF adds: 'This act of violence is deeply concerning. We want to reassure the community that we remain committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents.
'As this is an active investigation, we are limited in what we can share at this stage. However, we have full confidence in the ongoing efforts of the SAPS to uncover the facts and bring those responsible to justice.
'We encourage the community to remain calm and united, and to continue reporting any suspicious activity'
Police are appealing to anyone with any information to please call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the mobile application MySAPS. Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.
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TimesLIVE
7 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
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The struggle is still the subject of much discussion and debate on questions of war and peace globally, with the ANC's policy against targeting civilians in the conduct of armed action and its fidelity to the principle of non-racialism, constitutionalism, and reconciliation and nation-building among the prominent highlights. Throughout its three decades in exile, the ANC led the struggle against apartheid on a moral basis, earning the respect and admiration of friends and foes at home and around the world. The struggle is still the subject of much discussion and debate on questions of war and peace globally, with the ANC's policy against targeting civilians in the conduct of armed action and its fidelity to the principle of nonracialism, constitutionalism, and reconciliation and nation-building among the prominent highlights. The apartheid regime and its international allies worked tirelessly to portray the ANC in the most negative light imaginable, including by exaggerating internal organisational challenges and problems as well as manufacturing blatant lies. The facts were irrelevant as long as the goal of tarnishing the image of the ANC was met. Thirty years after its demise, the apartheid regime's bad habits appear to linger on in Mashele's head, polluting the public discourse. A faithful apartheid apologist Mashele also conjures an imaginary and delusional vision of townships and rural communities, which he claims 'used to be proper' in the apartheid years but were destroyed by the ANC after 1994. This is a shocking example of his faithful devotion to the apartheid project. One wonders which townships and rural areas Mashele is referring to. Could they be the same ones that had no water and sanitation, electricity, paved roads and other basic amenities before 1994? 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With an estimated working-age population of 41-million people today — a 40% increase in the population since 1994 — employment stands at 16.79-million, an 88% growth in employed individuals. While it is far from adequate, the economy has nonetheless absorbed a substantial portion of the expanding labour force, reflecting a notable increase in formal employment opportunities over the past three decades. In 1992, GDP was about $146.96bn (R2.6-trillion). Today, GDP is three times higher, at $405.06bn (R7.2-trillion). If the ANC has destroyed the backbone of the economy, as Mashele alleges, how has the economy risen threefold? As the leading political party since 1994, the ANC surely shares the blame for unemployment. But the fact that the private sector controls slightly more than 70% of the South African economy is not an inconsequential fact. No serious analysis about unemployment can exonerate the private sector from the problem. 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Cachalia is a respected anti-apartheid activist who made a significant contribution to the liberation of South Africa and the post-1994 democratic order. He was tortured by apartheid securocrats while Mashele was still wiping snot from his cheek. An accomplished legal academic who thinks more, speaks less, and does a lot more, Cachalia is also a former MEC of safety and security in Gauteng. Surely, he is worthier of the ear than Mashele, the prince of egotistical grandeur and armchair purveyor of crude opinions of little practical value. To assert that Cachalia's only claim to fame is his membership of the ANC is the zenith of vulgarity. It is the same churlishness and platitudinal mindset that drove Mashele, with characteristic theatrical performance for pleasing his audience, to insult Eric Nkovani, aka Papa Penny, calling him 'an idiot' on the grounds that 'the guy has not been to school'. True to his egoistical character, Mashele could not resist contrasting himself with Nkovani: 'I have a master's degree,' he declared. It must follow that in Mashele's book, millions of other people who did not have the opportunity to go to school are just as idiotic. The absolute necessity of formal education is unquestionable, but when the educated — or is it certificated? — equate a lack of it with idiocy, it underscores the need for an educated discourse about education covering such issues as the history of Black people's access to education in South Africa, the political economy of knowledge production, and the ends to which it can be put, especially in a postcolonial developing country context. If Mashele had a grain of humility or bothered to research his subjects, he would understand that he is neither worthy to validate nor sit in judgment over Cachalia. 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