Cape Town - In a spate of overnight violence, two men in their 20s were shot and killed in a suspected gang-related incident in Steenberg on Wednesday.
Hours before that, armed men in a black VW Polo fired about 10 shots at security personnel who were guarding the recovery work on the Central Line between Bonteheuwel and Lavis Town.
In Steenberg, the victims, 23 and 28, were killed on the corners of Symphony Avenue and Cradock Road.
One of them was believed to be an innocent person walking past the shop.
Last month a 17-year-old boy was found with a bullet in the head in Retreat. On May 9, a 63-year-old man from the same area was killed by a stray bullet following a shootout near his home.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said Steenberg police were investigating a double-murder case.
“Steenberg police were called to the crime scene where they found the victims with gunshot wounds.
“According to reports, the victims were standing on the corner when they were approached by an unknown suspect, who shot them.
“Both victims were declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“The suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested,” said Twigg.
Meanwhile, brazen armed men in a black VW Polo fired about 10 shots at security personnel who were guarding the recovery work on the Central Line between Bonteheuwel and Lavis Town.
Prasa spokesperson Andiswa Makanda said the two security guards were shot and wounded on Tuesday morning while contractors were installing overhead copper cables on the line.
“A case of attempted murder has been filed at the Elsies River Police Station.
“Prasa is on a journey to recover stolen or vandalised rail infrastructure and is aware of the vulnerability of the recovery work to criminal syndicates and opportunistic criminals.
“We have contracted and deployed additional security on the lines we are recovering, but it is clear that we are under siege, and the criminals will stop at nothing to get what they want,” said Makanda.
The parastatal commended the bravery and work of the security guards who defended the copper cables.
Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile said a multi-task team had identified hot spots to fight essential-infrastructure crimes, including vandalism and theft of copper cables.
“We have one here in the city and one in the Winelands because those are the most prevalent areas where vandalism and theft occur.
“The unit includes prevention, detection and ensuring the chain of these perpetrators is followed up until the final destination where the stolen infrastructure is being sold.
“Prasa, Eskom, Telkom and other parastatals have come on board. “We have already closed two scrap metal outlets and made arrests. We are requesting communities to report all suspicious activities,” he said.
Satawu’s spokesperson Amanda Tshemese said it was disturbing that people were destroying such a vital part of the country’s infrastructure.
“Clearly these criminals are heartless and it means we are in trouble here, we are at war with these criminals. It is unfortunate that such cases are rising everyday.
“We are concerned about the safety and security of our members and commuters generally, as they use Metrorail daily.
“Our people need services.”
Cape Times