Delft Showdown: Somali Youth Murdered, Pregnant Woman Wounded in Crossfire of International Shop Rivalry

In Cape Town, the Delft Community Policing Forum struggles to monitor shootings at informal shops.

After the killing of a Somali man and the injuring of a pregnant woman in Abardare Street, N2 Gateway, the situation is concerning.

According to police spokesperson FC van Wyk, the circumstances surrounding the shooting are being investigated.

The victims were found inside a shop with gunshot wounds, one person was fatally wounded, and the other was taken to a medical facility.

The motive for the attack is unclear, and the suspect/s are still on the run.

CPF chairperson Reginald Maart mentioned that some cases are related to extortion, while others involve disputes between foreign nationals over territory.

Foreign shop owners are now fighting over space, which was not an issue when they first arrived.

Maart believes that some foreigners are involved in extortion and paying gangsters to prevent others from opening businesses.

Efforts to reach the Somali Association of SA for comment were unsuccessful.

Maart expressed challenges in preventing shootings due to a lack of vehicles and difficulty in enforcing shop closure times.

Operation Lockdown was introduced to make shops close at 10pm, but people often defy the rules, making policing difficult.