Gang-related shootings mar Easter weekend on Cape Flats

Easter weekend in Cape Town turns deadly as gang violence claims two lives, raising concerns despite SANDF’s deployment. Cape Town has seen a surge in violence over the Easter weekend with multiple shootings reported despite the recent deployment of the SANDF. During the early hours of Saturday morning, at around 2.30am, a 23-year-old male was gunned down in Soetwater Court, Hanover Park, in what is believed to be a gang-related shooting.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that the victim sustained a gunshot wound to the head and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. Twigg reported: “The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Saturday morning, 4 April 2026, at about 2.30am, in Soetwater Court, Hanover Park, where a 23-year-old male was shot and fatally wounded are under investigation.” In a separate shooting incident, an 18-year-old was shot dead during the early hours on Monday morning before 5am in Canal Road in Vygieskraal, in what police suspect to be a gang-related shooting. Twigg added: “Athlone police registered a murder case for investigation following a shooting incident on Monday morning, 6 April 2026, on the corner of Canal Road and Pearl Crescent, Vygieskraal, where an 18-year-old male was shot and fatally wounded.