Debate intensifies over SANDF deployment after Athlone triple murder

Nine-month-old Amra Lifia was one of three people killed in a shooting in Sunbird Court, Bridgetown, Athlone. A powerful plea to “silence the guns” has sharpened the debate over the deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to the Cape Flats, as Athlone residents mourn the killing of nine-month-old Amra Lifia and two women. Police confirmed that the mass shooting unfolded on Tuesday at about 10pm in Sunbird Court, Bridgetown, Athlone.

The deceased women were aged 25 and 36, and one of them was Amra’s mother. Two adult men were also injured. Preliminary information indicates that three suspects carried out the attack and fled the scene.

They have not yet been arrested. The motive remains under investigation. Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said detectives were working around the clock to trace those responsible.

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“The South African Police Service strongly condemns the senseless and brutal attack in Sunbird Court. Detectives attached to the Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are working around the clock to identify and arrest the three suspects who fled the scene. All available resources have been mobilised in a bid to bring those responsible to justice,” Traut said.

In a video shared on Wednesday, Fight Against Crime South Africa spokesperson Jay Jay Ide said immediate action was needed. “There are people who don’t believe that SANDF should be deployed and are suggesting this intervention and that intervention. Everything that they are proposing is absolutely correct.

However, the problem lies in the fact that we need these interventions today and none of these interventions are going to happen today. What I can guarantee is that a shooting is going to happen today,” Ide said. “We are trying to draw attention to the urgency of this matter which is why the SANDF deployment is so important.

This is an action that can be taken today so that broader actions can be taken tomorrow.” He described the deployment as an opportunity to stabilise affected areas so longer-term reforms could follow. “The real fight doesn’t happen when the SANDF are deployed. It happens after they are deployed… Can we not all agree that the only thing that matters right now is silencing the guns,” Ide said. Western Cape Minister of Police Oversight and Community Safety Anroux Marais said that following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement of the SANDF deployment last Thursday, an engagement took place between Premier Alan Winde and Acting National Police Minister Firoz Cachalia.

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