Three killed by assault rifle and pistol in Delft

South Africa’s murder capital has been hit by yet another incident. Three people were shot and killed in Delft in the early hours of Thursday.

The police’s Andrè Traut said a woman and two men were walking in the street when the attack occurred.

‘’Information at our disposal suggests that the suspects fled the murder scene in Beethoven Street in a silver Opel Astra sedan after opening fire at the victims with an assault rifle and a pistol at around 01:00 while they were walking in the street,’’ said Colonel Andrè Traut.

The police spokesperson said the motive behind the killing of the 27-year-old woman and the two men, aged 28 and 30, are unknown.

The Western Cape’s Police Oversight & Community Safety MEC, Reagen Allen, described the incident as ‘horrific’.

‘’The perpetrators clearly have no regard to life or humanity. It is quite alarming that these criminals used an assault rifle in the attack. The continued flow of illegal weapons require immediate and urgent intervention.’’

‘’Not only should those who committed these crime be charged, but also those who placed the firearms in the hands of criminals. The entire supply chain has to be interrupted if we are going to overcome the continued evil that is plaguing our society,’’ added Reagen Allen, Western Cape’s Police Oversight & community Safety MEC.

ARCHIVE: MEC Reagen Allen at Bush Radio

According to the latest crime statistics, eighty murders were reported in Delft between July and September 2023.

An additional 68 Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers have been deployed to Delft, bringing the total number of LEAP officers based in the area to 141 - the biggest deployment in any single precinct.

LEAP officers work alongside other law enforcement agencies, such as City of Cape Town, Metro police and SAPS. Officers are deployed in crime hotspot areas in the metro. LEAP officers stem from the Western Cape Government’s Safety Plan, which was initiated in September 2019, to address the high murder rate in the province. The Western Cape aims to reduce the murder rate by 50% by 2029.

Any person with information regarding the incident is requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111

Done By: Mitchum George