Cape Town Pupil Shot Dead, 3rd State Witness Killed in Nyalara-Related Criminal Cases

• A Grade 11 boy from Khayelitsha was shot dead while walking back from school
• He was a state witness in a criminal case against an Eastern Cape criminal, Yanga "Bara" Nyalara
• Nyalara was acquitted in a separate case of mass murder last week

KHAYELITSHA - A 17-year-old boy, Olwethu Dyonta, was shot in the chest and head on Tuesday, 20 August 2024. The shooting took place on Lindela Road, Kuyasa, in Khayelitsha.

There have already been two other murders of state witnesses who were to take the stand in Nyalara-related cases.

"The victim was walking home when he was approached by an unknown man who took out a firearm and shot him. The victim sustained gunshot wounds to his chest and head and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel," reported police spokesperson, Sergeant Wesley Twigg.

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Khayelitsha CPF responds to murder of Grade 11 pupil

The Community Police Forum (CPF) in Khayelitsha confirmed that a boy was due to appear in court on Tuesday, 22 August, at 11am in a robbery case.

"This is the second pupil to have been shot dead in less than a week. We are very saddened by this brutal murder of this young learner who had his whole life ahead of him. Any death of a school learner is heartbreaking and is strongly condemned," said a CPF representative.

The Provincial Education Department said the death of the pupil saddened them and he hoped that the police would find the gunman as soon as possible.

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X users react to the killing of the boy

@AvainAfrica begs the question:

"Why wasn’t he protected?"

@zinn_le says this is not an isolated case:

"What's happening in the Western Cape is truly sad. What's even more disheartening is that the Western Cape government don't care about the state of the province. It just keeps getting worse."

@Ed_UberDriver asks if we have a system to protect witnesses:

"So they couldn't get him into witnesses protection? Wow!"

@Inenekazi1 says more citizen protection is needed:

"I keep saying the Western Cape government needs to deploy the SANDF to every Cape Flats area and even in the suburbs. People are getting robbed and killed every day for no reason. It's ridiculous that nothing is being done to protect us."

2 Men murdered in a car in Phillippi, Cape Town

Briefly News previously reported that two men were brutally killed in Philippi, Cape Town, Western Cape, while sitting in their car. Gunmen reportedly opened fire, leaving the victims dead at the scene before fleeing.

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The violent incident shocked South Africans, with some expressing that crime in the area must be brought under control.

Source: Briefly News