Pagad has initiated a manhunt for those responsible for the death of a 12-year-old girl in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain
Watch: Chaos breaks out in Beacon Valley as Pagad call for blood
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Pagad, a vigilante group known for its hardline stance against gangsterism and drug dealing within communities, mobilised on the evening of the incident.
They embarked on a rigorous manhunt targeting locations associated with well-known drug dealers in the area.
This operation wasn’t just a search; it involved the destruction of cars belonging to these dealers, signalling a direct and forceful response to the gang violence that claimed the young girl’s life.
Reports following the incident suggest that the suspects, feeling the pressure of Pagad’s aggressive pursuit, have since fled Beacon Valley.
The tragedy, which saw the young girl fatally wounded by stray bullets, has stirred profound anger and sorrow within the community and among local authorities.
Caught in the crossfire of an ongoing gang war, the girl was struck by a stray bullet in the eye just after 11:00 on Tuesday, outside her school’s premises, awaiting her transport.
City of Cape Town’s head of community safety and police oversight Reagen Allen, in a statement, lambasted the suspects responsible for this senseless death, emphasising the urgent need for community cooperation with law enforcement to apprehend the perpetrators.
“This horrific murder… angers me deeply. This is yet another young life that’s been unnecessarily taken from us,” Allen stated
An eyewitness to the incident described the scene as traumatising, especially after seeing the mother’s reaction to the sight of her dead daughter hours after she had dropped her off at school.
“My heart goes out to that little girl that lost her life today, so innocent, I feel the pain of her mother the way she shouted when she saw her child’s body laying there , knowing that she dropped her at school safe and sound. My body still feels numb because I was in a fight or flight, not knowing where to run , what to do at that moment,” the eyewitness said.
Police have since launched a manhunt for the suspects, with arrests yet to be announced.
In Beacon Valley, tensions are on a knife’s edge, as civic groups are expected to hold demonstrations against escalating gang violence in the area.