Cape Town - A community is in shock after five people were shot dead in Paarl.
The incident happened in a shack at the back of the Chris Hani house in Mbekweni on Monday night at about 11pm.
Olwethu Sompani, 34, his girlfriend Zimkhitha Solani, 39, and her two children – Ntlantla Solani, 14, Simphiwe Solani,12, and friend, Chandre Horn, 32, were murdered by unknown men.
Relative Vuyokazi Mfiki said she was sleeping when someone went to her house and told her that there was a shooting.
“I don’t live in the same yard, but I’m not far away. My nephew came and told me that Olwethu, who is also my nephew, was killed.
“I called the police before I walked to the house. Chandre’s body was lying by the gate, I suppose she was trying to get help. She was bleeding from the head, and when I tried to go to the shack at the back of the house, the police told me not to.”
She said they had been left devastated by the massacre.
“This is really shocking and has left us with questions. We don’t know who they were targeting because they shot everyone in the shack.
“We don’t even know how we are going to pay for the funerals.”
Local councillor Thembekile Mangena said Mbekweni rarely experiences such violent attacks. “This has left us asking what the motive was. We don’t support this way of resolving issues.
“No life should be lost in this manner. We are saddened that there were also children who were affected by this. If people have any kind of problems they can come to us and talk to us so we can help solve the problems.”
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said their detectives attached to the provincial serious and violent crimes unit were hard at work to probe the circumstances of that led to the shooting.
“At about 11.15pm police members responded to a complaint of several gunshots fired at a residence in Chris Hani Street when they discovered the bodies of three male victims aged 12, 14, and 34 and two female victims aged 32 and 39. The motive for the multiple murder is yet to be determined, and arrests are yet to be affected. At this stage there is no indication that the incident is linked to the taxi strike in the province.”
Police Oversight and Community Safety, MEC Reagen, Allen said: “Two of the victims were only 12 and 14 years old. Two other victims were women, and this on the eve of Woman’s Day.
“The 4th quarter crime statistics, January to March shows that 100 women and 39 children were murdered during this period.
“Respectively, this is 36 and 20 fewer murder cases, when compared to the same period of the previous year. We cannot allow the criminal element to cheapen life in this manner, and I call on our communities to work with us so that this does not anchor itself in any area.”
Any person with information can call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the mobile application My SAPS anonymously.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za