The search continues for suspects involved in the fatal Wesbank mass shooting on Sunday, 3 November 2024, that claimed the lives of 56-year-old Gerrit Anthony and 63-year-old Katie Arendse.
Story Summary:
- Suspects involved in the fatal Wesbank mass shooting remain at large two days after the attack, with police urging the public to assist.
- The victims, 56-year-old Gerrit Anthony and 63-year-old Katie Arendse were unintended targets in a gunman’s attempt to pursue another individual.
- The Wesbank shooting is the third mass shooting on the Cape Flats in two weeks, heightening community concerns over rising violence in the area.
Wesbank mass shooting: Here are the latest updates
As of Tuesday, two days have passed since the deadly attack, yet no arrests have been made.
The critical 48-hour mark in the investigation has elapsed, and with it, mounting pressure on authorities to identify the gunmen involved in the Cape Flats tragedy.
The incident unfolded in Millwood Street, Wesbank, when an unidentified gunman, reportedly chasing a young individual, stormed into a game shop and fired multiple shots.
At the time, Anthony was playing pool with friends, an activity he enjoyed regularly.
According to his wife, Jennifer Anthony, 55, who spoke to Cape Argus, her husband had been preparing lunch at their family home before heading out to the shop, which was a familiar and safe gathering place for the local elders.
After returning home from church, she was informed by their son that Gerrit had gone to a friend’s game shop to play pool, a regular Sunday routine for him.
Minutes later, Jennifer heard someone shouting frantically at her front gate.
Arriving at the scene, Jennifer learned that not only her husband but also her friend, Katie Arendse, and her sister, Kathleen Rudolph, 53, had been struck by bullets.
Gerrit was fatally wounded, sustaining a gunshot to the head.
Arendse succumbed to her injuries en route to the hospital, while Rudolph remains hospitalised with critical injuries after a bullet travelled from her chest toward her heart.
Police confirmed that Anthony and Arendse were unintended victims, caught in a crossfire meant for someone else.
SAPS spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk confirmed that Mfuleni police are investigating the shooting as two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
“Circumstances surrounding this incident are under investigation. The motive is yet to be determined,” Van Wyk stated.
The Wesbank tragedy marks the third mass shooting in the Cape Flats area within just two weeks.
On 25 October 2024, seven people were gunned down in Bishop Lavis, and a day prior, five individuals were fatally shot in a vehicle on the road between Mamre and Atlantis.
The recurring attacks have stirred significant unease in Cape Town, with many residents expressing fears over the escalating violence and the lack of arrests in these cases.
