Western Cape Shootings Leave 13 People Dead in Five Incidents, Police Launch Multiple Manhunts

• Detectives from the Western Cape's Serious and Violent Crime Unit are investigating several shootings across the province over three days
• The South African Police Service is investigating whether the deaths of seven people in five shootings are linked to one another
• Police in the province also launched manhunts after six men were shot dead in Khayelitsha within hours of each other

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

WESTERN CAPE – Police are investigating seven separate shooting incidents in the Western Cape, which have left 13 people dead in three days.

Detectives from the province’s Serious and Violent Crime Unit have launched manhunts following incidents across the province, with the latest shootings happening on the morning of 25 May 2025.

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The motives for all seven shooting incidents are currently under investigation.

Six men killed in Khayelitsha

In the latest fatal shootings, a massive manhunt was launched after six men were killed within hours of each other. The incidents happened in Makhaza and Endlovini, in the Harare area of Khayelitsha, between Sunday night and early on Monday morning.

On Sunday, 24 May 2026, three men were gunned down inside an informal dwelling at about 19:30. The victims were aged between 20 and 24. Police noted that family members heard multiple gunshots and found the victims lying inside the dwelling with fatal gunshot wounds.

Hours later, at approximately 1:40 am on Monday, three men were shot at a shebeen in Endlovini. The victims, who are believed to be in their thirties, succumbed to their injuries at a medical facility later.

Seven killed in five incidents

The shootings come after multiple fatalities were reported across Khayamandi in Stellenbosch in five different incidents.

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The first incident happened on 22 May 2026, when a 46-year-old man was shot dead in Mgabadeli. He was killed, allegedly by three men, after he returned from work. Later in the evening, two men aged 27 and 32 were shot dead in Thubelisha, while ten minutes after that, police reported to a scene in Fire Street were a 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman were found in a shack with gunshot wounds.

Not long after, police were flagged down and alerted to another incident in Luyolo Street, where the body of a 33-year-old man was discovered with gunshot wounds.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, police were called out to 7th Avenue, where the body of a 37-year-old man was also discovered with gunshot wounds.

15 people killed in one weekend

Briefly News also reported that at least 15 fatalities were recorded in shootings in the Western Cape over one weekend.

The multiple shootings were reported from Friday,13 March to Sunday, 15 March 2026, as the province battled rampant gun violence.

Social media users' reactions reflected fear and despair over the escalating violence in the province.

Source: Briefly News