Cape Town - Bouncers exchanged gunfire with armed gangsters trying
to force their way into a Goodwood pub in the latest resurgence of violence
marking a power struggle rocking the local underworld.
One of
the bouncers is now facing an attempted murder charge after a young man was
wounded during the crossfire.
Sources
told News24 a group of gangsters, known as the Young Rebels, are intent on
taking over entertainment venues along Voortrekker Road.
And they
are doing so through violence.
“It’s
such a hectic situation, I feel my life is now in danger,” an employee at one
pub said on Thursday.
Sources
said a group of Young Rebels tried to rob someone outside a popular
entertainment venue along Voortrekker Road early on Sunday.
“A
bouncer opened the door… they threw stones and beer bottles at him,” a source
said.
“They
said they’d be back. They came back with guns. They shot at the bouncer and
(another employee) shot back at them.”
On
Thursday police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed the fight.
“It is
alleged that the group of men wanted to enter the pub at about 03:30. There was
then an argument between the group and the bouncer, which led to the bouncer
firing a number of shots and hitting one of the men in the forearm,” he said.
“The
bouncer then gave his firearm to a friend, who left the scene.”
Van Wyk
said when the friend returned to the scene, police officers searched the
vehicle he arrived in and found the firearm under the driver’s seat.
“The
bouncer was arrested for attempted murder and the friend for the illegal
possession of a firearm.”
The
fight to control entertainment venues along Voortrekker Road started unfolding
as it emerged that a violent power struggle between gangs was also playing out
near popular venues in and around Cape Town’s city centre.
Drug trade
Sources
operating in the underworld and others in the legal fraternity and police told
News24 that rival gang associates are fighting for various reasons, such as
dominating the lucrative drug trade during the festive season.
One gang
and its associates believe rivals are targeting them because of their strong
ties to nightclub security. They believe their rivals are trying to force them
into retaliation attacks.
“It’s
become a war. And we’ll go that route if necessary,
if we’re pushed,” a source said.
Sources
described some of the violent incidents that occurred recently.
They
said that three Sundays ago, at 06:04, a bullet was fired at a nightclub in
Loop Street. It did not strike anyone.
A black
BMW X5 was seen speeding away. Sources at first suspected it was the brother of
an alleged gang boss, but later established it was not.
A police
source said the incident was not officially reported because “they’re trying to
keep it quiet.”
Around
22:00 on the same Sunday, two young suspected gang members stabbed the brother
of a Long Street eatery’s owner.
A staff
member, who declined to be named, told News24 the two youngsters were involved
in “some random initiation thing on Halloween”.
He said
the duo harassed a few tourists on Long Street
and a doorman at a nearby club. The owner’s brother intervened and they stabbed
him.
Tourist street
“Police
should be here 24 hours a day. This is a tourist street, but this is the
perfect example to show how unsafe it is,” the staff member said.
A case
of intent to do grievous bodily harm case was opened with police. No arrests
had been made.
In one
of the more recent incidents, Western Cape attorney Noorudien Hassan was murdered in Lansdowne on the evening of
November 7.
Hassan
had been involved in several high-profile cases linked to gangs.
The
evening after Hassan was killed, Craig Mathieson, the night manager of Hotel
303, in Sea Point, was murdered inside the establishment. Nothing was stolen
from him.
Controversial
businessman Mark Lifman, who last year was acquitted of hundreds of bouncer
industry-related charges, owns the hotel.
