Shootout at barbershop kills three youth

Three young men were killed and five wounded when four men opened fire at a Browns Farm barbershop last Wednesday.

Residents say the incident is a surprise because crime has gone down since a police station opened in their area over a month ago.

According to provincial police spokesperson, captain André Traut, the shooting may be a revenge attack. The deceased were all aged between 18 and 21 years.

“An initial investigation has revealed that four armed men approached the eight victims at around 1.15pm at the barber shop, where two were shot and killed on the scene. Six men were admitted to hospital, and upon arrival a third male succumbed to death due to the extent of his injuries. We have reason to believe that the incident has been sparked by revenge,” he said.

Nyanga Community Police Forum chairperson, Dumisani Qwabe, said the shooting sent shockwaves through the community because innocent lives were lost. He suspects the shootings are related to extortion with gangs fighting over turf. He said the most of the boys who killed in the barbershop were school children and it was sad that they died in hail of bullets.

He said they thought that they were turning the tide against crime but now it seems as if things are taking a horrible turn again.

“Such incidents instil fear in our communities and leaves the families of the deceased fearing for their lives. I hope the police bring the killers to book.”

He called on the community to report extortion.

“We are calling on community stakeholders and residents to stand up and report crime. We cannot live in fear in our own communities. Our children have made wrong life choices and we must do more awareness campaigns to discourage them from joining criminal activities,” he said.

Community leader Nhlanhla Kamuteni said killings in their community had gone down. He said the recent shooting came was a surprise but he understood it to be gang-related.

“These people were fighting among themselves so those who died are the people they were looking for. No innocent resident was killed. Those who were fighting their war are the ones who died,” he said.