Community outraged as two arrested for Bishop Lavis shooting
Image: Morgan Morgan / DALL-E / DFA / Illustration
Detectives from the Western Cape Anti-Gang Unit (AGU) have arrested two 23-year-old men in connection with the brutal mass shooting that left four people dead in Bishop Lavis on Friday night.
The suspects, who are facing four counts of murder, are expected to appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court on Tuesday morning.
Police confirmed that at around 7.15pm on July 11, two armed suspects stormed a home in Reenberg Street and opened fire on the occupants, killing two men and two women.
All four victims were declared dead at the scene by medical personnel.
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Advertisement
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Play
Unmute
Current Time
0:00
/
Duration
-:-
Loaded :
0%
Stream Type LIVE
Seek to live, currently behind live
LIVE
Remaining Time
-
0:00
This is a modal window.
Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.
Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan
Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque
Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps
Reset
restore all settings to the default values Done
Close Modal Dialog
End of dialog window.
Next
Stay
Close ✕
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said: "The possibility that the incident is gang-related cannot be ruled out, and the circumstances surrounding the murder are now the subject of an investigation by the South African Police Service.
"The suspects are expected to make a court appearance in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 15 July 2025, on the mentioned charge."
Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile praised the swift work of the Anti-Gang Unit, saying its meticulous tracing efforts had led to a significant breakthrough.
He added that investigators would continue pursuing every lead to ensure justice for the victims.
The killings have sparked renewed outrage from residents and community organisations, who say the government has failed to protect vulnerable communities from ongoing gang violence.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum (CPF) condemned the murders and called for urgent national and provincial government intervention.
CPF chairperson Amanda Davids said the community was devastated and outraged by the continued bloodshed and accused the government of inaction.
The CPF said the community lives in constant fear as illegal guns flood the streets and gang networks operate with impunity.
It demanded a judicial inquiry into the state's failure to tackle gang violence, the collapse of crime intelligence, and the unchecked circulation of illegal firearms.
The forum further called for the immediate deployment of national and provincial resources to the area, increased police visibility in hotspots, accountability for law enforcement failures, and a community-focused strategy to address poverty, unemployment, and inequality — the drivers of gang recruitment.
Davids said the community refuses to accept that families and elders must live as prisoners in their own homes, and that continued silence from leadership is tantamount to complicity.
She urged residents, civil society, and faith-based groups to unite against gang violence and send a clear message to perpetrators that they will be resisted by every legal and moral means available.
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
Police officers arrested for looting washing powder at crash scene
Limpopo police have arrested three SAPS employees, two police officers and a general cleaner stationed at Modimolle SAPS for theft and defeating the ends of justice. A joint investigation by the Limpopo Provincial Anti-Corruption Unit and the Modimolle Local Criminal Record Centre (LCRC) led to the arrests. According to police reports, the arrests follow a 14 July 2025 incident on the R101 road, about 10 km outside Modimolle towards Polokwane. A delivery truck carrying pallets of washing powder veered off the road around 04:20, spilling some cargo. While the driver tried to secure the scene, bystanders began looting. A marked SAPS vehicle soon arrived, but instead of stopping the looting, the two officers allegedly joined in and loaded washing powder into the SAPS vehicle, leaving the driver behind. The driver documented the incident and reported it, prompting a swift investigation. On 18 July 2025, the joint team searched the residence of one officer and recovered some of the stolen goods. Investigators also linked a general cleaner to the crime. The three suspects, aged between 49 and 55, will appear before the Modimolle Magistrate's Court on 21 July 2025. Police expect more arrests as investigations continue. Limpopo Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, condemned the conduct of the SAPS employees. It is deeply troubling when those trusted to uphold the law betray that trust. We will not tolerate corruption or criminal behaviour within SAPS, and we remain committed to ensuring accountability at every level,' Hadebe said. Police have urged anyone with information about the incident to report it to their nearest police station or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Standard Bank manager linked to international drug cartel
BUSTED: Cupido is seen exiting the lift with brown boxes Image: Supplied THE 115 bricks of cocaine worth an estimated street value of R18 million allegedly found in possession of a suspended Standard Bank manager were linked to multiple international cartels. This emerged when Lieutenant-Colonel Christiaan van Renen, the investigating officer, testified in the ongoing bail application by Raed Cupido. The 40-year-old was arrested on 10 June over the 115 bricks of cocaine worth an estimated street value of R18m, an AK 103 Rifle, Uzi Pro Rifle, five semi-automatic firearms and 130 rounds of ammunition inside a storage unit in Roeland Street. His alleged accomplice, Christopher Carlese, 38, was arrested just over a month later, on 13 July. He claims he wasn't at the scene that day but at his home in Kensington. During their recent application in the Cape Town Magistrates Court to apply for bail, the court heard that police officers have video footage, firearm links, and forensic evidence tying both to the drugs. According to court documents, Cupido immediately admitted to cops that the white powder was cocaine when they pulled up to the storage unit. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Video footage obtained of Cupido on 9 May at the storage unit Image: Supplied Van Renen said forensic results confirmed the drugs were linked to multiple international cartels. He said Cupido and his co-accused were 'first receivers' for international drug cartels. 'I submit that the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from these facts is that (Cupido and Carelse) are so-called 'first-receivers' of the cocaine as it is smuggled into South Africa by international drug cartels. 'It was found that three of the firearms recovered were stolen during a business robbery in Boksburg in 2019. During the same robbery, 69 other firearms were also taken. 'The other four firearms are not registered on the firearm system of South Africa.' The court heard that Cupido rented unit 869 while Carlese rented unit 868, which are located next to each other. The suspended senior banker is alleged to be a first receiver of the drugs from international drug cartels. Image: Supplied The court further heard that video footage was obtained of the storage unit from 22 April to 10 June, which showed Cupido exiting the lift on the ground floor and walking towards a white Polo on 9 May. Van Renen says: 'The final photograph depicts certain items found by the police inside storage unit 868 as it was laid out on the ground in front of the unit. 'The box is open and a white object is partially visible inside. To the left, next to the brown cardboard box, are two stacks of compressed cocaine bricks. 'The partially visible, white-coloured item inside the brown box has been identified as cocaine bricks that were found inside the brown cardboard box. 'I submit that the shape and dimensions of the box carried by [Cupido] when compared with the box found in [Carelse's unit] containing cocaine, are a match, according to my observations.' The court heard that when Cupido was arrested he was in possession of two iPhones and an Apple Watch which he refused to hand over, however a cyber warrant to gain access to data is underway. Cupido had cited the overcrowding in Pollsmoor as among the reasons he should be released on bail as these conditions posed a risk to his health. He has dismissed claims linking him to the drugs, saying he is a family man, soccer coach and businessman who's being framed in a R18 million cocaine bust case. The court previously heard that Cupido was pressured by an officer and former employee of alleged 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his wife Nicole Johnson into admitting that the drugs were theirs in exchange for his freedom. The father of two who earns approximately R78 000-a-month, previously worked at British American Tobacco Group, Woolworths and Phillip Morris Group where he was employed as a commercial planning and development manager and flew across the world in this job. He also owns RADC Transport, a fleet company with 17 vehicles that earns R160 000 per month. He also owns properties in Rondebosch, Claremont and Green Point valued at over R20 million. The case was postponed to 1 August for arguments. Cape Times
IOL News
6 hours ago
- IOL News
Help police identify armed man who enquired about SAPS member's child at school
The unidentified man sought by police for questioning after allegedly entering a Bellville learning institution while armed and enquiring about the child of a police officer. Police are offering a R50 000 reward for information that could help identify and locate an armed man who allegedly entered a Bellville learning institution with malicious intent and enquired about the child of a police officer. Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi said detectives are urgently seeking the public's assistance in identifying an unknown individual who may assist with an ongoing investigation. "Detectives attached to the Western Cape Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit are seeking the assistance of the public for information that will lead to the detention and conviction of an unidentified man who can assist Police in an investigation after an enquiry docket was opened," said Swartbooi.
