Safety concerns are mounting in Langa on the Cape Flats following a mass shooting that claimed the lives of four young men and a woman over the weekend.
The incident formed part of a deadly weekend on the Cape Flats, where 11 people were killed in three separate shooting incidents.
The violence has raised renewed concerns about the ongoing battle against violent crime in the area, despite the deployment of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to support police operations.
Community members in Langa say they are deeply shocked by the scale of the attack, with many describing the incident as unprecedented for the area.
Langa community leader and councillor Lwazi Pakade says residents are struggling to come to terms with what happened.
“The mood in the community is quite upset. They are shocked because this is also the first time that we are experiencing a mass shooting of this nature in the community,” Pakade said.
He added that Langa has traditionally been regarded as one of the safer communities in Cape Town, making the shooting even more disturbing for residents.
The latest incident has intensified calls for stronger measures to address violent crime and improve safety in communities across the Cape Flats.