Cape Town is once again in the grip of escalating violence, with more than 20 shooting incidents reported across the metro this past weekend alone.
The wave of attacks follows two shocking incidents in Kuils River and Surrey Estate all caught on camera and widely circulated on social media.
According to data compiled by Fight Against Crime South Africa (FACSA), between 16 and 26 October 2025, the city recorded a staggering 225 crime incidents, including 168 shootings that left 56 people dead.
FACSA said the information was based on community reports, reflecting the scale of violence unfolding daily across Cape Town’s most vulnerable communities.
The violence stretched from Mitchells Plain to Manenberg, Hanover Park, Lavender Hill, and beyond neighbourhoods long plagued by gang activity and turf wars, while in other cases the motives remain unknown.
Among the latest fatalities was a 32-year-old man shot dead in Nita Street, Lotus River, on Sunday morning.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident, saying a murder and attempted murder case had been opened after five men were shot, leaving one dead and four others wounded.
Twigg said: “Grassy Park police responded to a complaint of a shooting and upon arrival they found five males who had sustained gunshot wounds. A 32-year-old man was declared deceased on the scene, while the other victims aged between 18 and 42 were taken to hospital for treatment. The motive for the attack forms part of the police investigation. The suspects fled and are yet to be arrested.”
In Lavender Hill, a 19-year-old man was gunned down in a hail of bullets in Aspeling Court on Saturday evening. He had reportedly just arrived home when he was ambushed outside his house shortly after 6pm. Twigg confirmed that the motive for the attack is believed to be gang-related, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.
Witnesses described the scene as “chaotic”, with dozens of evidence cones marking where bullets struck the road, suggesting that more than 30 shots had been fired.
Meanwhile, in Surrey Estate, CCTV footage captured how a couple came under fire while driving through an Engen garage on Friday night.
The footage shows two gunmen running up behind the couple’s moving Audi A3 and firing several shots into the passenger window before fleeing as the vehicle sped off. Twigg said the motive for the Surrey Estate shooting has not yet been determined.
In Kuils River, 30-year-old Lorenzo Petersen from Eerste River was killed in a targeted attack that was also captured on CCTV. Petersen was on his way to a memorial service when he came under fire at the corner of Van Riebeeck Road and Annandale Street. Footage shared on social media shows an unknown gunman chasing Petersen’s Mini Cooper, firing multiple rounds into the driver’s side window and then through the windscreen before escaping in a getaway vehicle.
Twigg confirmed that Kuils River police responded to the shooting around 7.50pm, finding Petersen dead inside his car.
“According to reports, the victim was approached by an unknown suspect who shot him while he was standing at a traffic intersection,” Twigg said. “The suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested. The motive for the attack is believed to be gang-related.”
According to the FACSA report the shootings happened as follows:
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Thursday, 16 October: Five incidents were reported across Eastridge, Tafelsig, Hanover Park, Valhalla Park, and Steenberg, leaving two people dead in Steenberg.
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Friday, 17 October: Thirteen incidents included shootings, stabbings, and a body found in Elsies River and Mitchells Plain. Four people were killed.
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Saturday, 18 October: Eighteen incidents were reported across Khayelitsha, Lavender Hill, Philippi, and Manenberg, resulting in five fatalities.
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Sunday, 19 October: Three more people were killed in shootings and stabbings in Hanover Park, Lavender Hill, and Tafelsig.
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Monday, 20 October: Twenty-one incidents occurred in Hanover Park, Lavender Hill, and Steenberg, leaving four dead.
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Tuesday, 21 October: Six shootings were reported, including one fatality in Lotus River.
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Wednesday, 22 October: Nineteen incidents, including hijackings and shootings, were recorded, with five fatalities.
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Thursday, 23 October: Twenty more incidents left four dead across Hanover Park, Steenberg, and Vrygrond.
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Friday, 24 October: Twenty-one incidents were recorded across Hanover Park, Steenberg, and Elsies River, with four fatalities.
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Saturday, 25 October: Twenty-three incidents left five dead in Philippi, Manenberg, and Lavender Hill.
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Sunday, 26 October: The weekend ended in further bloodshed, with 13 incidents and seven fatalities reported across Lotus River, Manenberg, Heideveld, and Bonteheuwel.
Community members say they are exhausted and terrified, with some neighbourhoods hearing gunshots almost daily.
As investigations continue, police have urged anyone with information to come forward.
Weekend Argus
