The Kraaifontein community in the Western Cape has been left reeling after an 11-year-old girl was killed and two others wounded in a suspected gang-related shooting.

Esmine Franke was playing with her friend, 8, when unknown gunmen opened fire at their target, who was left unscathed.

Shahieda Franke explained: “We were at home when we heard the gunshots, when we went out, there was no one. Someone called and said I must go and see her; she had been hit.

“She was still alive, she couldn’t talk, she squeezed my hand. When the ambulance got here, they treated my brother who was hit in the legs, and then they realised that Esmine was no longer alive.

“They were sitting outside, and then a boy who is a gangster walked, and they came after him, and they didn’t hit him at all.” 

The eight-year-old was shot in the back, and she is now in Tygerberg Hospital.

Police said the girl was fatally shot while an eight-year-old girl and a 19-year-old man were wounded during the incident in Wallacedene on Tuesday evening.

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the shooting occurred at about 7.20pm in Mti Street.

“Kraaifontein police registered a case of murder and two counts of attempted murder following a shooting incident on Tuesday at about 7.20pm at a premises in Mti Street, Wallacedene, Kraaifontein, where an 11-year-old female was shot and fatally wounded, and an eight-year-old female and a 20-year-old male were injured.

“According to reports, the victims were playing outside when an unidentified suspect approached and started to shoot in the street. All three victims were wounded by stray bullets.”

Van Wyk confirmed that the young girl was declared dead on the scene by paramedics, while the two survivors were taken to the hospital for treatment. He added that the motive is believed to be gang-related and that the suspect fled and has yet to be arrested.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS app. Information will be treated as confidential.

Kraaifontein Community Police Forum chairperson Mawethu Sisila said the community was still trying to make sense of the tragedy.

“From what I heard, this shooting was gang-related, but it still has to be confirmed. We are shocked by what happened and strongly condemn it,” he said.

Civil society also expressed outrage.

Ilitha Labantu spokesperson Siyabulela Monakali said the tragedy highlights the unsafe conditions in communities plagued by gangs.

“That an 11-year-old child lost her life while playing outside is an indictment of a society that has failed to prioritise the safety of its most vulnerable members,” he said.

“Gang violence is not an isolated problem. It is rooted in the conditions of poverty, inequality, and neglect that continue to define life in many of our townships. The persistence of these killings reflects systemic failures to dismantle gangs, to provide meaningful alternatives for young people, and to deliver effective policing that communities can rely on. Until these failures are addressed, children will continue to die, families will continue to grieve, and communities will continue to be terrorised.

“We send our condolences to the bereaved family and wish the injured victims a full recovery. The loss of yet another young life must serve as a call to urgent action to protect children and to ensure that families can live with dignity and security.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za

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