A Mitchells Plain shooting spree left three people dead and five others wounded, including three children, in two separate attacks in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon. Police said the cases have been handed to the Anti-Gang Unit, while no arrests had been announced by Wednesday morning.

The worst of the violence unfolded at the Hazeldene taxi rank, where gunmen opened fire on a group of people just before 3pm. A second fatal shooting followed in Portlands, adding to fresh concern over gang-linked violence on the Cape Flats.

Mitchells Plain shooting hits taxi rank and Portlands

According to the supplied source, two men aged 20 and 22 were killed at the Hazeldene taxi rank in Mitchells Plain after unknown suspects opened fire. Three children — a six-year-old girl and boys aged 12 and 13 — were among the injured, along with two adult men. Medical personnel declared the two victims dead at the scene.

Police opened two murder cases and five attempted murder cases after the taxi rank attack. In a separate incident on Merrydale Street in Portlands, a 26-year-old man was shot dead. Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut said the Portlands killing is believed to be gang-related.

Traut said both matters are now under investigation by the Anti-Gang Unit. SAPS’ official media statement index for 7 April 2026 also lists a Mitchells Plain shootings probe by Anti-Gang Unit detectives, reinforcing that specialist investigators are handling the cases.

Fresh bloodshed raises pressure on Cape Flats security plan

The latest Mitchells Plain shooting incidents come just days after the SANDF began a new deployment on the Cape Flats under Operation Prosper, a joint effort with SAPS aimed at tackling organised crime and gang violence. Recent reporting said the operation started on 1 April 2026 in affected areas including Mitchells Plain.

That deployment followed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s earlier announcement that the military would support police in crime hotspots in the Western Cape and other provinces. GroundUp reported that 2,200 soldiers were being deployed nationally in support of SAPS through to 31 March 2027.

While authorities have framed the intervention as a stabilisation effort, the new Mitchells Plain shooting cases show how volatile the area remains. Police said the suspects fled both scenes and that no arrests had yet been made.