by Sibulele Kasa
Thursday May 26, 2022
CONCERNS have been raised over police investigations into the
killing of Somali nationals after two men were gunned down in Langa this week.
This comes after the men were killed in a hail of bullets in
Zone 14 shortly after 11pm on Monday.
Police say they were called to the scene and found one man
dead, while the other died in hospital due to the extent of his injuries.
Now the Somali Community Board of South Africa has raised
its concerns over the latest killings and the police’s ability to follow up
cases involving foreign nationals.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the motive
for the murders had yet to be established.
“The circumstances surrounding a shooting incident where two
adult male foreign nationals were shot and fatally wounded is under
investigation,” he said.
“Langa police were called to the crime scene where they
found one victim lying next to a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds to his
body. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“The second victim was transported to a nearby hospital,
with multiple gunshot wounds to his body, where he later died due to injuries
sustained. The motive for the shooting is yet to be established.”
The board’s deputy chairperson, Abdirizak Osman said while
they acknowledged the country’s high crime rates, they were still concerned by
the lack of follow-up in cases.
“Since 2006 we have been seeing hundreds of Somali nationals
killed in South Africa. The crime rate is high in the country, we understand,
so we are all affected, but police do not follow up properly in the cases of
the foreigners,” said Osman.
He said they were working with community leaders, police and
all affected stakeholders to advance the needs of their members.
Langa’s Safety Patrol deputy chairperson Bandile Gcuwa said
the community was shocked by the killings.
“We were really worried because we had never seen something
like that. We really do not know the possible motive behind that. The community
had a good relationship with them. But we do not understand what they were
doing outside at that time of the night,” said Gcuwa.
Police have yet to make arrests.