Bishop Lavis CPF Calls Out Police Absence Following 3-Month-Old Baby’s Death in Cape Flats Shooting

• Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum believes that police are nowhere to be found when there are shootings
• This comes after a three-month-old baby was shot and killed in Bonteheuwel, Cape Town on Friday
• It is alleged that the infant was used as human shield when a rival gang shot the victim, who is also believed to be in a gang

The Bishop Lavis Community Policing Forum says the communities in Cape Town do not want the police to respond to shootings but rather to prevent it. This follows the latest shooting incident on the Cape Flats where a three-month-old boy was shot and killed on Friday, 23 August 2025.

What happened to the baby?

According to eNCA, the shooting occurred in Bonteheuwel when two gunmen entered a home and opened fire on a woman and her child. The child, allegedly used as a shield, was rushed to hospital and initially resuscitated, but later succumbed to the injuries despite efforts to save him.

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The mother and the gunmen are believed to belong to rival gangs that have been clashing in the area for years. The South African Police Service has since launched a manhunt for the suspect.

What did the CPF say?

The Bishop Lavis CPF believes that SAPS do not respond quickly enough to shootings on the Cape Flats. The CPF Chairperson Graham Lindhorst said that he warned police about the rise in gun violence.

He said residents have been complaining but SAPS are nowhere to be seen. He said that the police officers only respond after a while. Lindhorst said the problem is that they do not want police to respond, they want police to prevent the shootings.

What did South Africans say?

Social media users shared their opinions regarding the brutal shooting.

@SirDavid_Dashe said:

"How many people die daily in Cape Town?"

@Squirrel1980021 said:

"This government has not seen enough babies and children die for them to get of the ... and do something, with some extreme urgency. We pray the baby makes it, when I say our government is trying g to kill us, its no joke."

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@VisionDrivers said:

"We kill our women, we kill our children..we are evil."

@i97848 said:

"SAPS CANNOT CONTROL CRIME ESPECIALLY RELATED TO GANGSTERSISM."

@TaljaardNa82363 said:

"Why won't ANC racists devolve policing and investigative duties to the Western Cape?? Maybe scared they will do a better job than SAPS??"

@StanleyMangwir3 said:

"Please interview the former head of hawks and explain why for 1 yr they never opened Babita"s laptop or phone."

79 Children killed in Cape Flats between September and November 2024

In a related article, Briefly News reported that 79 children were killed in the Cape Flats from 1 September to 20 November 2024. A 14-year-old child, Jahmiel Van Reenen, was one of the victims of a shooting in the area.

The Western Cape Provincial Government said that the children were either shot and killed or stabbed. Nine children were shot dead in Elsies River during that period.

Source: Briefly News