Rising violence in Crossmoor: police team assigned to investigate recent shootings
Image: Supplied
RESIDENTS in Crossmoor, in Chatsworth, are on high alert after two residents were shot dead and a third was injured in separate incidents over the past two weeks.
Police have set up a dedicated team to investigate the shootings.
In the latest incident on Wednesday, a resident from Crossmoor Drive was shot after two gunmen approached his vehicle. The man was hit on the head with a firearm before being shot in his thigh. The gunmen stole his cellphone, car keys and about R400 in cash. The victim was hospitalised due to his injuries.
Two days earlier, Jeeva Pillay, 63, of Bottlebrush Crescent, was shot dead in his driveway. He had returned home from doing seva (selfless service) at the Hare Krishna Temple when he was confronted by a lone gunman.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Ad Loading
The suspect shot at him multiple times before fleeing empty handed. He died hours later in hospital. Pillay's pet pit bull was also killed in the attack.
A week earlier, Jayseelan Jayce Naicker, 45, of Montford, was shot twice and died 15 minutes later at the gate of a home he was delivering food to on Crossmoor Drive.
Kishore Hambapersad, the spokesperson for the Crossmoor Community Policing Forum (CPF), said: "Police are working with the CPF to find the perpetrators. The police are treating these incidents seriously and currently have leads on one of the suspects. They have also designated a team to investigate these shootings.
'There have been three shootings in a period of two weeks, and we are concerned about the increase in gun-related crimes. We encourage members of the community to join us and be vigilant when out on the road."
THE POST
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
2 Evaton cops and civilian charged in constable's murder
Two police constables appeared in the Sebokeng Magistrate's Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder of Constable Gift Mokoena, who was fatally shot in May 2021. Vaalweekblad reports that Constables Piet Matsoso (38) and Siyabonga Kunene (31), both stationed at Evaton Police Station in Gauteng, and their friend Hofney Morobe (36), face multiple charges, including murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, robbery with aggravating circumstances, defeating the ends of justice, and handling a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. According to information provided by the National Prosecuting Authority, the incident occurred on the night of May 16, 2021, in the Golden Gardens area. Matsoso and Kunene were off duty and driving with Morobe when they pursued a vehicle suspected of involvement in a house robbery. The vehicle stopped at a BP petrol station, where the accused allegedly assaulted the four occupants. During the altercation, a cellphone and car keys were reportedly taken from one of the victims. The trio then allegedly drove the victims around before handing them over to members of the CPF. While the victims were in the custody of the CPF, Morobe and Mokoena, who had by then joined the group, allegedly continued the assault. In the course of events, Morobe allegedly fetched Matsoso's service firearm from a vehicle and shot Mokoena. The wounded officer was taken to Nkanyezi Private Hospital in Sebokeng, where he died. The accused surrendered to police on June 30. During their bail application, the state did not oppose release, citing their co-operation and the fact that witnesses are unknown to them. Bail was granted at R1 000 each. The matter was postponed to September 4 for a directive from the Director of Public Prosecutions. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
eNCA
3 hours ago
- eNCA
Mchunu unveils crime-fighting strategy
CAPE TOWN - Police Minister Senzo Mchunu is hitting back hard against crime. He's assured South Africans he's spearheading amplified initiatives to crush criminal activity. Mchunu says the strategy is aimed at protecting the vulnerable, rooting out criminality, and rebuilding the public's trust. Stressing the urgency of the police mission, the minister highlighted the devastating impact of gang warfare in Cape Town, saying the metro's recent four waves of gang violence have claimed eighteen lives. The budget allocates R219.2-million to police the G20 conference later this year, R400-million for next year's Local Government Elections, and nearly R35-million to support the appointment of an additional Deputy Police Minister.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
‘Police are the chief criminal syndicate': Saps R120bn budget criticised by MPs
Members of Parliament expressed their concerns about corruption in the police service. MPs have sharply criticised the police's budget, with several voicing concerns over persistent corruption in the South African Police Service (Saps). On Friday, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu presented the department's budget for the 2025-2026 financial year at the Good Hope Chamber in Cape Town. The presentation was followed by a debate in which MPs scrutinised both the spending plan and annual performance targets. Mchunu tables Saps budget In his address, Mchunu highlighted the police's key priorities, which include reducing the murder rate, tackling gang violence, addressing gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) and rooting out corruption. To support these goals, he said several critical enablers had been identified to bolster the crime-fighting strategy. These include strengthening crime intelligence, enhancing forensic services and upgrading infrastructure such as police stations. 'This budget is about improved policing,' Mchunu told MPs. The total allocation for Saps stands at R120.89 billion. ALSO READ: 'No arrest warrant for police crime boss Fannie Masemola', IDAC says Specific allocations include R219.2 million to secure the G20 conference in November 2025, R400 million for the 2026 local government elections and R34.8 million to cover the appointment of an additional deputy minister. Additionally, R150 million is being reallocated from Saps' operational budget to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), also known as the Hawks. Mchunu also announced the recruitment of 5 500 new police trainees in January 2026. 'Additionally, 250 police trainees with qualifications in law, forensic investigation and information technology will be placed in the directorate [Hawks] upon completion of their training.' Watch the budget vote debate below: The minister emphasised the need for targeted, intelligence-led deployments in high-crime zones across four provinces, including Gauteng and the Western Cape. He highlighted that R85 million was earmarked for the top 30-plus five high-contact crime stations. Community engagement efforts will receive R28 million for community policing forums (CPFs) and R8.5 million for initiatives such as imbizos. A significant R1.6 billion is allocated to combat GBVF. Infrastructure investment includes R670 million for constructing and upgrading police stations, R20 million for procuring and converting vehicles to enhance mobile service centres and R45 million for day-to-day maintenance of existing facilities. Saps budget criticised While ANC MP Erald Cloete expressed support for the budget, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party MP David Skosana rejected the spending plan, saying that South Africans were being 'betrayed by the very same institutions meant to safeguard them'. He accused both Saps and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) of failing in their mandates. Skosana likened the country's crime levels to a war zone and condemned the lack of accountability. 'It is a chilling indictment of a police service that has lost control,' he said on Friday. He warned that if the budget is passed, it would amount to a 'death sentence' for citizens. Skosana also said Ipid's annual performance targets, particularly regarding rape and corruption cases, were 'laughable', 'inadequate' and reflected what he described as an under-resourced institution. He highlighted Ipid's backlog of 10 500 cases and slammed its proposed R428.6 million budget. 'Only R9 million was allocated for forensic investigators. We are essentially throwing a glass of water on a forest fire. [It is] pure strategic failure.' READ MORE: Police sergeant arrested in Kamogelo Baukudi kidnapping case issued suspension letter The MK party member further took aim at Saps' administrative budget. 'R72 billion is set aside for administration, much of which goes to a bloated management structure and a system that seems more interested in sustaining itself than saving the public.' Moreover, Skosana condemned the lack of a concrete strategy to fight internal corruption. 'The so-called lifestyle audits mentioned in the budget are nothing more than a PR exercise. 'Officers implicated in criminality continue to rise through the ranks, protected by political connections and institutionalised silence.' He called for urgent action to reduce case and DNA backlogs, hire more officers and tackle corruption effectively. 'Chief criminal syndicate' Democratic Alliance MP Lisa‐Maré Schickerling also criticised the budget, calling it 'obscene' in the face of the police's declining credibility and rising crime statistics. 'One must ask, are we funding public safety or institutional failure? The reality on the ground is devastating,' she said. Schickerling raised alarm over South Africa's high GBV rates and Ipid's plan to only address 35 rape cases this year. 'That's not a plan, that's an admission of defeat and a resignation letter addressed to every woman that the system has failed.' Despite her concerns, she acknowledged there were some positives in the proposed budget. EFF MP Leigh‐Ann Mathys also rejected the budget, expressing scepticism that it would lead to any real reduction in crime. 'Minister, even if we add your President [Cyril] Ramaphosa's Phala Phala dollars, it is not going to help,' she said. READ MORE: Corruption crisis deepens within Gauteng police force Mathys warned that the reported dysfunction in Saps was a 'tip of the iceberg'. 'If we continue down this path, South Africa is going to lead the world in committing mob justice purely because the police are the chief criminal syndicate,' the EFF MP said. 'We have a history of high-ranking Saps officials caught with their hands in the cookie jar of corruption,' Mathys added. IFP MP Russel Cebekhulu echoed concerns about police corruption, referring to recent arrests of senior crime intelligence officers, including the division's head, Dumisani Khumalo. 'This undermines public trust and threatens the integrity of policing in South Africa,' Cebekhulu said.
