Covid-19 lockdown means nothing to warring Cape Town gangsters — and the bodies are stacking up

On 31 December 2020, Cape Town law enforcement officers found a firearm with 55 live rounds and four hollow-point rounds in a car in Hanover Park. (Photo: City of Cape Town)

By Vincent Cruywagen

4 Jan 2021

Level 3 lockdown may mean quieter roads and shopping centres in suburbia — but for the residents of Cape Town’s ganglands little has changed, with shootings and gang warfare continuing unabated.

Rival gangs in Ocean View have ignored the lockdown, engaging in deadly battles that have so far claimed at least two lives and left four people wounded.

Chairperson of the Ocean View Community Policing Forum Mansoer Ismail believes more will die in retaliatory attacks between the Taylor Boys and Junkie Funkies. The recent flare-up can be linked to a murder on 12 December 2020, when the Taylor Boys’ leader was allegedly gunned down by Junkie Funky members. On Boxing Day, the Taylor Boys retaliated and killed a Junkie Funky member, whose brother was seriously injured.

Members of the Junkie Funkies are alleged to have torched two cars belonging to the Taylor Boys and petrol bombing a house. During this attack, a Taylor Boys member was seriously injured and hospitalised. Then on Sunday, 3 January, the Junkie Funkies allegedly wounded another two members of the Taylor Boys.

The car of an alleged gang boss was set alight in Ocean View. (Photo: Supplied)

“This gang war is far from over. Gangsters in the area have no respect for the lockdown regulations. Shots are being fired during the day and deep into the early hours of the morning. It is like there is no curfew in Ocean View and daybreak is a chilling reminder the shootings are not over yet.

“On Monday, 4 January one of the deceased was buried and a second one will be buried on Tuesday, 5 January. We expect the shooting in the area to resume after these funerals. It is so unfair. Residents didn’t enjoy the festive season. Parents were forced to sit outside, watch their children play in the streets and when they noticed somebody with a gun, they jumped up and ran to get their kids out of the war zone,” Ismail said.

Gangsters in Ocean View petrol-bombed a flat in the area on Boxing Day that allegedly belonged to a rival gang member. (Photo: Supplied)

Gang violence has marred the festive season for residents of Atlantis, too.

In the early hours of Christmas morning, around 1am, two members of the 28s gang were allegedly shot and killed by their own members. A third person, who was wounded and rushed to hospital, has since been discharged.

It is believed that one of the men was shot and killed by his brother. Rushin Thompson was shot in the chest and then dragged by Oscar Simon, an alleged 28s gang member, into a yard. Thompson died and as Simon left the scene, he was shot in the back of the head in an alley.

A petrified resident, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said: “Upcoming 28s gang members taking over the reins show little respect to older gang members. The skimbozis (sic), as they are referred to, have sent out a clear message that they mean business and are the new kids on the block.”

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed that Atlantis police are investigating two cases of murder and one of attempted murder. Three suspects, aged 19, 20 and 23 were arrested and will appear in the Atlantis Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 5 January.

Manenberg, Hanover Park, Elsies River, Mitchells Plain, Wesbank and Lavender Hill remain volatile, with sporadic shootings between rival gangs reported in all of these hotspots.

In Hanover Park, city law enforcement officers recovered two firearms on 30 December while patrolling in Arthur Walk. Wayne Dyason, spokesperson for the city’s law enforcement, said the officers heard about 20 gunshots.

“On arrival at Blomvlei Road, they saw an adult male with multiple gunshot wounds. The suspects involved in the shootings drove past the scene and members of the community pointed them out to the officers.

“A car chase ensued with more officers joining in. The vehicle stopped behind Pelikaan Court where the suspects jumped out and were caught by a metro officer. A firearm was found inside the vehicle with 55 live rounds which included 14 hollow-point rounds,” he said.

On 31 December 2020, Cape Town law enforcement officers found a firearm with 55 live rounds and four hollow-point rounds in a car in Hanover Park. (Photo: City of Cape Town)

In Belhar, where the Terrible Josters, Mobsters, Junior Cisco Yakkies, 26s, Sexy Boys, Junior Mafias and the 28s are locked in a deadly turf war, police on Friday, 1 January confiscated three unlicensed firearms and arrested two suspects aged 62 and 48.

The area where the guns were found is notorious for gang fights, Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said.

“The police activities, comprising roadblocks, raids, vehicle checkpoints, compliance inspections and targeted operations are set to continue until the end of the holiday season in an effort to ensure all are, and feel, safe,” she said. DM

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