The past week saw police in the Overberg respond to a number of murder scenes.
In the first incident, Hermanus Police were called out to a scene in Ebenezer Street, Hawston, where a young man’s body was found in his neighbour’s yard with a stab wound to the chest.
Captain Fadila September, spokesperson for the Hermanus Police, said further investigation revealed the deceased, identified as Wayne Claasen (33), had been in an altercation with his father the night before the gruesome discovery.
His body was discovered on Tuesday 23 January, at approximately 06:29, by a neighbour who then informed Claasen’s father George.
The deceased’s family, said September, reportedly had a protection order against him. Despite this he entered his parents’ house where he allegedly stabbed his father in the left shoulder when an altercation broke out between them.
“He sustained a deep wound to the left shoulder and chased his son away. His son reportedly ran into the neighbour’s yard where his body was discovered the next morning.
“The investigation is ongoing, and the investigating officer is following-up on all leads. No arrests have yet been made.”
Detectives are investigating the mysterious circumstances surrounding a shooting in which one man was killed and a woman who was with him wounded.
This incident, said September, occurred at approximately 22:00 on Sunday 28 January in the Dubai informal settlement.
“The deceased was walking with a woman along a sandy road towards the ocean when an unknown man approached from behind and fired shots at them from close range.
“The deceased was hit in the back of the head and the witness was wounded in the right shoulder. She managed to stumble to a close-by yard where she lay down. The shooter allegedly shot the deceased once more in the head before walking to the witness. The shooter, who is described as tall and slender, then walked away and disappeared among the shacks.”
The motive, said Captain September, was unknown at this stage. She added that the murder investigation was proving challenging as the scene had been badly trampled and contaminated by curious onlookers.
“No arrests have been made. The investigation continues.” Shot from behind
In another incident, two men sustained gunshot wounds to their torsos when an unknown gunman shot at them at approximately 21:10 on Sunday 28 January in Zwelihle.
“They were walking in Jikileza Street when an unknown gunman fired shots at them from behind,” said September. “The victims, 38 and 40 years old respectively, are still in hospital. No arrests have been made.” Stabbing in Bot River
The community of Bot River was left reeling in shock after a young man was stabbed to death over the weekend. A young woman was reportedly also seriously injured and had to be admitted to hospital.
In a moving tribute the deceased’s sister Tamerin Donita Hufke wrote: “Corney Shotta, my baby brother, the one I’ve fed with my own two hands, the same brother I washed with my own two hands, the same brother I used to take a walk with whenever our mom was tired and I wanted her to rest, the same brother whom I protected from getting hurt.
“They took you away from us so brutally. I will miss your soul. RIP forever, my baby brother.”
Community leaders called on residents, church leaders and other figures of authority to attend a meeting on Monday to discuss the events that rocked the normally quiet town.
At the time of going to print the Caledon Police had not responded to requests for information about the incident.