Woman shot dead as gang violence flares up again in Hanover Park

A recent flare-up in gang violence in Hanover Park has claimed the life of a bystander, as a woman was caught in the crossfire on Sunday.

Police responded to the scene in Donegal Court, Hanover Park, on Sunday afternoon, where they found the body of the 28-year-old victim.

She had been shot in the upper body.

Provincial police spokesperson Mihlali Majikela said the circumstances surrounding the incident were still under investigation.

However, police sources have told News24 that the woman had not been the intended target of the shooting.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the shooting, News24 has been informed. Provincial police, however, could not immediately confirm this.

Gang tensions in the area flared up earlier this month between the Americans and the Ghetto Kids, resulting in gunfire and unrest.

Hanover Park, which falls under the Philippi police precinct, is one of 10 areas where the army has been deployed to help in joint operations with the police.

Together with Elsies River, Bishop Lavis, Mitchells Plain, Delft, Nyanga, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, Kraaifontein and Manenberg, the precinct has the province’s highest attempted murder rate.

After an initial two-month deployment, President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the SANDF’s stay in September for an additional six months, to March 31, 2020.

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