A 14-year-old schoolboy was killed in a suspected gang shootout in Elsies River, Cape Town, on Tuesday. Residents are terrified that the violence could escalate.
At 8am on Tuesday, a group of children stood on Donegal Avenue in Elsies River, Cape Town, were on their way to school, when a car stopped and two masked shooters got out and opened fire.
Grantham van Reenen (14), a Grade 8 learner at Ravensmead High School, was fatally wounded. Two other learners from different schools, aged 15 and 17, were wounded, as was a 55-year-old man.
The mayhem didn't end there. A chase ensued and men suspected of belonging to opposing gangs rushed into the grounds of St Andrew's Technical High School and exchanged gunfire between the school buildings.
Van Reenen's father, Alrich Petrus, told Daily Maverick that after hearing gunshots, he rushed out of the house and discovered his son lying in a pool of blood.
Acting provincial commissioner Major-General Bongani Maqashalala confirmed that the gunmen's faces were covered.
"The motive of the shooting is a subject of investigation. SAPS have collected a lot of cartridges. The inquiry is ongoing and has been taken up by the Anti-Gang Unit (AGU). We have boosted the deployment in the region, and multidisciplinary forces, law enforcement, metro and...
