Police discovered 10 bodies in the Cape Town metropolitan area in just a few days.
Cornel van Heerden, Rooster Pictures
- Ten bodies have been found in Cape Town since the start of the New Year’s long weekend.
- In the latest incident, two bodies were discovered at Tafelsig and Mnandi Beach on Wednesday.
- Police have condemned the incidents.
It’s been a bleak start to 2023 after 10 bodies were discovered on the Cape Peninsula this week.
Western Cape Police responded to numerous tips, with the latest incident being reported on Wednesday morning when two bodies were discovered in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain and Mnandi Beach.
Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg said a 30-year-old man was discovered in an open field on Ural Street, Tafelsig, at around 07:30 on Wednesday.
“The victim was found with multiple stab wounds to the body and was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. The motive for the murder has yet to be established and the suspects have yet to be arrested,” Twigg added.
Shortly after, the man’s body was found on Mnandi Beach.
“An investigation file was opened after the body of an adult male washed up on Mnandi Beach on Wednesday morning. An autopsy will be performed to determine cause of death,” Twigg added.
The Mitchells Plain Community Policing Forum (CPF) said it was “very concerned” about bodies found in different areas.
READ | ‘Caught, beaten and set on fire’: Police condemn vigilantism after 5 people were burned alive in Delft
“We are confident that most of these murders are gang related, definitely the ones in Mitchells Plain. We have already had three murders since January 1,” CPF spokesman Norman Jantjies said.
He urged the police to identify and arrest the perpetrators as the communities lived in fear.
“We wish to remind the City of Cape Town to prioritize the installation of surveillance cameras and license plate recognition technology,” he added.
On Monday, Grassy Park police discovered the body of an unknown man in an open field just after 05:00 at the corner of Strandfontein and Klip streets in Lotus River.
“The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel. The unknown suspects fled the scene and have not yet been arrested. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation,” Twigg added.
On the same day, Steenberg Police recorded an investigation following the discovery of an unknown female in Crestway Road, Retreat.
“An autopsy will be performed to determine the victim’s cause of death,” Twigg said.
On Sunday, Table View police opened an investigation after the body of a woman was found in a ditch on the R27.
“An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death,” police said.
Meanwhile, five people believed to be involved in several home burglaries were allegedly burned alive by Delft residents on Monday.
Police spokesman Colonel Andrè Traut said suspected residents accused the victims, aged between 25 and 36, of breaking into a home and stealing a cell phone.
“They were caught, beaten and burned. The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation and no arrests have been made yet,” Traut added.
News24 previously reported that police issued a stern warning to the public that they were not allowed to take matters into their own hands.
traut said:
Vigilantism is condemned in the strongest possible terms, and those who take the law into their own hands will be persecuted and tried as criminals.
Community Safety and Police Oversight MEC Reagen Allen said residents were turning into criminals by taking the law into their own hands and ultimately becoming murderers.
“We cannot have a new year that starts this way. The little or no regard for life shows a collapse in the social fabric and an issue that requires urgent attention,” Allen added.
Meanwhile, police have urged anyone with information about the deaths to contact CrimeStop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS mobile app.
