Two men were shot dead and three other people wounded after gunmen stormed a shebeen in Philippi, Cape Town, on Tuesday afternoon. The attack happened in eYardini kasi near Browns Farm and has left residents shaken as police hunt for the killers.

According to Daily Sun, the shebeen was full of people relaxing and drinking when the gunmen arrived and opened fire. A resident told the publication they heard several gunshots before seeing three men running away on foot and disappearing between the shacks.

Fear spreads through the community

The shooting has added to growing fear in an area already under pressure from violent crime. One community leader told Daily Sun the attack may have been linked to protection fee demands, saying it did not appear to be a robbery because nothing was taken from the scene. The leader said the gunmen may have been sending a warning to the shebeen owner.

That claim has not been confirmed by police. But it points to a wider anxiety in many communities, where extortion and intimidation are increasingly part of daily life for business owners and residents. The same leader told the paper that protection fee gangs were no longer targeting only foreign nationals, but were now affecting everyone.

Police open murder and attempted murder cases

Western Cape police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed the shooting and said Nyanga police have opened two murder cases and three attempted murder cases. He said the two men who died were aged 30 and 40.

Van Wyk said one victim was found inside the shack with a gunshot wound to the head, while the second victim was found a few metres away, also with gunshot wounds. The three injured victims were taken to hospital for treatment.

Motive still under investigation

Police say the motive for the attack is still under investigation and that the suspects fled the scene after the shooting. For now, no arrests have been announced.

Authorities have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop or use the MySAPS app anonymously. As detectives work to piece together what happened, residents in Philippi are left trying to make sense of another burst of deadly violence in a place where too many already live on edge.