Cape Town: Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has condemned the shooting a little boy aged five (5) in a gang crossfire in Mananeberg while enrooting to a local tuck shop with his father. City of Cape Town officials has offered full support to assist South African Police Service (SAPS) to pursue justice in the wake of these shootings.
Reportedly, two women has also sustained injuries from shots fired. Lewis said that they are with the affected families and pray for the full recovery of the five-year-old boy as well as the two women injured in the crossfire.
However, the City of Cape Town is ready to assist the investigation by SAPS in every possible way. The officers are on ground and has invested in the safety technology in Manenberg and broader precincts including gunshot detection tech.
Hill-Lewis further described that it is not acceptable at all that the children are not able to walk safely to a local tuckshop with a parent and people should not live-in daily fear of crime in their neighbourhoods.
He explained the reason and said that this is why it is their goal to do everything possible to help SAPS fight the gang, gun and drug crimes particularly.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Safety and Security – Alderman JP Smith has said that he has been in touch with some residents of Manenberg who have sent the information related to this matter.
Smith said that he has reported to the relevant Metro Police Officers and the SSIU for them to also share with SAPS. He expressed, “I am grateful for their courage in being willing to speak up and can give them the confidence that their identities will not be revealed.”
Moreover, the City of Cape Town is able to assist SAPS in such investigations and others when given the opportunity. As per the given investments in various safety technologies such as gunshot detection in the Manenberg Area and others with CCTV, Automatic Number Plate Recognition and eye-in-the-sky aerial surveillance.
JP Smith cleared that the City of Cape Town is able to recover hundreds of illegal firearms annually through these investments and support the SAPS investigation to gain the convictions.
A total of 114 illegal guns were confiscated by the authorities in Manenberg and the adjacent Philippi or Hanover Park precinct over a three-month period as per the most recent crime stats for Q2 2024. With both stations among the highest levels of gun confiscations provincially in part due to gunshot detection technology and rapid response assistance to SAPS.