Mbalula to visit families of Cape Town murder victims
Police Minister, Fikile Mbalula will visit Philippi East to pay his respects to the families of the 11 people who were killed during a shooting at a tavern in the Marikana informal settlement on Friday evening.
Police ministry spokesperson Esethu Hasane said the minister is expected to engage with the community and with the families who lost loved ones in the incident.
Four people were reportedly shot dead inside the tavern, three inside a shack nearby, one outside the structure, two between the shacks and one person succumbed to their injuries in hospital after four men started shooting in the tavern.
Eyewitness Kwanele Nyamakazi told News24 he had been in the tavern at around 18:00 when he heard a brick, or some other hard object, being thrown against the zinc of the shack.
"[Some people] tried to go out to see what it was but there were men there and they told them to get back inside," he said.
"The men [shooters] came in and just fired randomly."
Nyamakazi said he hid behind the pool table.
Difficult to police
According to Nyanga community policing forum chairperson Martin Makasi, the incident is believed to be connected to vigilantism.
On Saturday morning, an estimated 100 residents stormed the Phillipi East police station demanding better policing in the area.
Marikana has been singled out as an area very difficult to police because the densely packed shacks severely limit access for police vehicles and there are no street lights.
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On Monday, police said four people were arrested in the settlement following the murders.
The arrests took place during an overnight police operation in the area, spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said in a statement.
A firearm confiscated during the operation has been sent for ballistic testing to determine if it has been used in a crime.