Five Suspects Arrested Following Fatal Shooting in Philippi East Informal Settlement
- Four people were shot dead in the Philippi East informal settlement in the Western Cape on Saturday, 7 March 2026
- The South African Police Service (SAPS) opened an investigation into the murder and attempted murder following the shooting incident
- Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting at the Marikana informal settlement in Philippi East
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: Getty Images
WESTERN CAPE, PHILIPPI EAST - Four people were shot and killed at an informal settlement in Philippi East in the Western Cape on Saturday night, 7 March 2026.
Four shot and killed in Philippi
The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Western Cape have opened murder and attempted murder cases for investigation following the shooting in the Marikana informal settlement. SAPS said three men and a woman were shot dead, and another person was injured during the incident.
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Reports from the scene indicate that two gunmen entered a yard on Disa Road at about 21:30 and fired several shots. A woman who was injured during the shooting left the scene before police arrived. Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the shooting.
The incident follows another deadly shooting in an informal settlement in the Western Cape last month. Three people were shot dead at Freedom Way in Joe Slovo, Milnerton, on a Sunday night.
Police are investigating a triple murder
South African Police Service provincial spokesperson Colonel André Traut said police are investigating a triple murder after the shooting at about 22:30. Officers who arrived at the scene found a silver Toyota Avanza with multiple bullet holes. Inside the vehicle were the bodies of two adult women who were declared dead at the scene. The body of a 36-year-old man was found a few metres away. Traut said the shooting may be taxi-related.
Meanwhile, Western Cape police are continuing a manhunt for those responsible for the murder of 33-year-old Islamic scholar Moulana Mustaqeem Wanza. Wanza was shot and killed in New Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain, on the first night of Ramadan after returning from Taraweeh prayers at the Salaamudien Masjid. Police said he was allegedly shot eight times on Candy Tuft Street and was declared dead at the scene.
Source: Getty Images
Other crime-related stories
Briefly News also reported that a 19-year-old suspect is due to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 26 January 2026, after being arrested in connection with a mass shooting at an illegal shebeen in Philippi East. The attack, which happened just after midnight on Saturday, 17, January 2026, in the Marikana informal settlement, left nine people dead and one person in hospital.
The City of Cape Town is offering a R100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for a fatal shooting in Atlantis. Two people were killed, and several others were injured after the shooting on 25 February 2026 outside the Atlantis Senior Secondary School in Palmer Avenue. The shooting claimed the life of a businessman and father, Eugene Titus, as well as that of a Grade 8 learner.
An off-duty law enforcement officer narrowly survived after being shot during a hijacking in Delft early on Sunday morning, 8 March 2026. The City of Cape Town confirmed that the officer is attached to the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) in Philippi East. City law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said the officer sustained a gunshot wound to the stomach and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
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Source: Briefly News
