SACP demands state of emergency after 17 killed in Cape Town shootings - EWN

The South African Communist Party (SACP) called for a state of emergency to be declared in parts of the Western Cape following a spate of mass shootings overnight that left 17 people dead in three incidents across Cape Town.

On Saturday afternoon, two people were shot and killed and another injured at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Milnerton. In Site C, Khayelitsha, three men died at the scene of a shooting and a fourth died in hospital.

Early on Sunday morning, just before 2am, gunmen opened fire on patrons at a tavern in Lwandle, Strand, killing 10 patrons and wounding 11 others.

SACP provincial secretary Benson Ngqentsu called for the immediate appointment of a provincial head of crime intelligence.

Major General Mathipa Makgato has been the acting head since the January 2025 dismissal of Mzwandile Tiyo.