Cape Town police launched a manhunt after seven men were shot dead in Gugulethu in the early hours of Saturday.
The mass shooting occurred at about 3:30am in Kanana informal settlement.
Police spokesperson Col André Traut said the SAPS was looking for two men, not considered suspects at this stage, who could help the investigation team.
“The serious and violent crimes unit in the Western Cape is appealing to the public for assistance in locating two men, Linde Madolo and Loyiso Matinisi, who may be able to provide crucial information regarding the mass murder of seven adult males in Gugulethu,” said Traut.
Ward councillor Bongani Ngcombolo said extortion and violent crime were rife in the area.
Ngcombolo, who visited the scene, said the men were gunned down inside a house in Kanana.
“Three people survived because they were asleep at the time of the shooting. Another man was killed about 200m from the house,” he said.
“We don’t know what happened. There was blood everywhere. The scene was unbearable — the entire house was covered in blood.”
Ngcombolo said four men were killed in a similar attack earlier in 2025 in Europe informal settlement.
“I’m deeply worried — crime and extortion are out of control in this ward. The community is traumatised. Some residents want to profile everyone living in the area so they know who’s among them,” he said.
Provincial police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile said the victims were 26 to 30 years old. Most were not from the area. “They are from Nyanga, and the one who was about 200m from here is from Delft,” he said.
“We don’t yet know the motive for the shooting, but we are looking for people who can assist us in the investigation.”
Patekile said Madolo, also known as “Fire”, was recently released from prison. He had been arrested in connection with the 2023 murder of Gugulethu community police forum deputy chairperson Lulama Dinginto. The case was struck off the roll due to the unavailability of a key witness.
“[They] were seen at both scenes,” said Patekile. “We have information that two men were present at the first and second scene. The description matches. We believe these two can assist us with the investigation.”
He raised concerns about the murder rate in the metro. “We are concerned. Any murder is a concern to us,” he said. “But we have not had mass shootings of this nature for a while.”
Patekile said police had allocated significant resources to curb violent crime and were targeting illegal firearms, particularly those not surrendered after registered owners had died.
“We’re also tracing guns because illegal firearms are the weapon of choice, as seen here. A large number of empty cartridges were found at the scene,” he said.
Extortion could not be ruled out as a possible motive. “There’s always a possibility — often it’s extortion, taxi violence or gang-related. Any of those will be a possibility for now.”
Traut urged anyone with information about the whereabouts of the two men to contact Sgt Sithembele Sambunjelwa on 073 416 5224.
TimesLIVE
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