Kayamandi mass shooting leaves four dead, police among wounded

Four men were gunned down and four others wounded, including two police officers, in a brazen mass shooting in the Western Cape. The mass shooting occurred in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, on Sunday evening, sparking a major investigation by the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit. Police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit are investigating four counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder following the mass shooting “At approximately 17:35, members of Stellenbosch SAPS responded to reports of a shooting in 7th Avenue, Kayamandi, where they found an unidentified man who had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.” Traut said, while officers were attending to the crime scene, they heard further gunfire in the vicinity and immediately responded.

“As they approached the area, they encountered armed suspects who opened fire on them. The members returned fire, forcing the suspects to flee the scene. Traut added that during the incident, two Saps members and two members of the public, a man and a woman, sustained gunshot injuries and were transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

“Four unidentified men were found with fatal gunshot wounds. A 9mm firearm was recovered at one of the crime scenes and has been seized for forensic analysis. Crime scene experts worked through the night processing the scenes and collecting evidence to assist the investigation.” Acting Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Major General Luyanda Damoyi, strongly condemned the brazen attack, describing the violence as unacceptable.

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“This senseless violence has claimed several lives and left police officials and innocent members of the community injured. “We will utilise every available resource to identify and apprehend those responsible. Those who attack police officers and terrorise our communities will face the full might of the law,” said Damoyi.

Police said the motive for the shootings forms part of the ongoing investigation. No arrests have been made.

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