- Five women were shot in Hanover Park on Tuesday night.
- Two died on the scene, while three were rushed to hospital.
- Police have launched a manhunt for the gunman.
A prayer group that visited the gruesome scene where two women were shot dead and three others injured, were asked by a grieving relative “to wait outside because the house smells like blood”.
A manhunt has been launched in Cape Town following the bloodbath in a home in Lansport Road, Hanover Park, on Tuesday night.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said two women, aged 60 and 75, died on the scene while the other three were taken to hospital.
The shooter arrived at the house in a grey VW Polo, Van Wyk said, adding that a man got out of the car and walked into the home.
“Several shots were fired inside the house, hitting all five women. Suspects are yet to be arrested,” said Van Wyk.
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The incident is believed to be gang related.
When News24 arrived at the home on Wednesday, the area was quiet but tense. Law enforcement and police drove up and down the street.
Residents gathered outside the house where the five women were shot.
A relative, who spoke to News24 on condition of anonymity, said they were “scared and shocked” at what unfolded in the household.
Family members were hard at work cleaning the blood spattered across the room where the gunman had opened fire.
Glenn Hans, a member of a community prayer group from the Vannie Hanover Park fitness club, said when the group arrived at the house on Wednesday morning to offer condolences and pray with the family, they were told by one of the murdered women’s sons “to wait outside because the house smells like blood”.
Hans said:
What happened inside that house is not normal. Those were mothers and grandmothers. Those young children will be scarred for life at what happened there.
“It is incredibly sad and painful to know this happened on our doorstep.”
He said about 30 community members rallied together to pray for the family.
“We wanted them to know that they are not alone. As a community, we feel their pain. For far too long, we have suffered under the hands of gangsters.”
Emotional community leader Rashieda Davids said she was “gatvol” of the senseless killings and has pleaded with police to intervene and arrest the perpetrators.
“What happened to these women of the community is a great concern for all of us. We are already struggling to get the community in order, but if they continue to kill our women in the comfort of their homes, then the problem we are trying to get rid of will continue,” said Davids.
Trying to fight back tears, Davids said she was angry.
“We want justice. Whoever did this must face the consequences and full might of the law. We will not rest until those perpetrators are caught.
“What they have done here is vicious and we will petition to stop these killings immediately.
“These five women must be the last to have been shot at and killed. We will not accept that this is what our community has come to,” Davids said.
Delcarmi Domingos and Glenn Hans.
Bystanders outside the house slowly shook their heads in disbelief, saying a “war is coming”.
Delcarmi Domingos, from the Community Resource Centre, said whoever the perpetrator was, “they came here with the intention to kill.”
“We have come out to support the deceased’s children, who are devastated. Many of them are underage and in complete shock. I feel for them,” said Domingos.
She said losing their family members in such a cruel way will remain with them forever.
“They’ll always remember that fatal scary night. And children should never be in a position where they have to live through the trauma of losing their loved ones like this. It’s heartbreaking,” said Domingos.
Residnets gathered outside the house to show their support for the grieving families.
A local churchgoer who heard the gunshots said she had been making herself a cup of tea when she dropped everything, went into her bedroom, locked the door and got into bed.
“The two aunties that died always greeted everyone. It’s very sad that they were killed like that,” she said.
Police said they had increased their visibility in the Hanover Park area.
“We appeal to residents to not take the law into their own hands. Police will not hesitate to take decisive action against those out to cause unruliness in the public domain,” said police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Pojie.