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.

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

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