Western Cape Police Arrest Suspected Drug Dealer for Allegedly Murdering Cousin and 4 Others in Paarl Shooting

• Western Cape police have arrested the man allegedly responsible for a mass shooting in Mbekweni, near Paarl
• The suspected drug dealer allegedly killed his cousin and three other people, including two teenagers
• The arrested man and his cousin were reportedly well-known criminals in the Mbekweni area

PAARL - South African Police Service (SAPS) officers made quick work out of finding the man who allegedly mercilessly gunned down five people near Paarl, Western Cape.

Suspected drug dealer Makhaya Cekiso was arrested for allegedly gunning down his cousin Zimkhitha Solani and four other people on Monday, 7 August. Two teenage boys were among the people killed in the mass shooting in Mbekweni, News24 reported.

The other people were Olwethu Sompani, Chandre Horn and teenagers Ntlantla Solani and Simphiwe Solani.

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Suspected drug dealer murders 5 in Paarl

On the day of the shooting, police officers were dispatched to a house in the Chris Hani residential area and found one victim lying in the yard.

Upon further investigation, more victims were found inside the shack, strewn on a bed. It appeared as though the shack door was forced open. All five victims sustained gunshot wounds to the head.

Suspected drug dealer and deceased well-known criminal

According to the community, the gunman, his cousin Zimkhitha and one of the other deceased, Sompani, were known in Mbekweni for robbing people and breaking into houses.

Cekiso appeared in the Paarl Magistrates Court on Thursday morning, 10 August. The case was postponed until 16 August, Paarl Post reported.

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In another story, Briefly News reported that security guards in Buffelsdraai responded with gunshots when 16 people arrived at the Buffeldraai Landfill Site, reportedly looking for food.

In a statement seen by Briefly News, security company Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said the mass shooting occurred on Wednesday, 12 July.

Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram stated that RUSA received a call from Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) paramedics asking for help transporting injured people to Redcliffe Clinic in Redcliffe - KZN to Osindisweni Government Hospital.

Source: Briefly News