'She was very beautiful, and very young. She had blonde hair. And she was shot dead outside the popular Cape Town restaurant #Mzoli's Sunday-night. (We are awaiting police identification of the victim).
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Cape Town - A woman described by witnesses as “blonde and beautiful” was shot and killed near popular restaurant Mzoli’s and Yvonne Chaka Chaka’s new food kiosk in Gugulethu on Sunday night.
The 32-year-old woman, who witnesses believe was a tourist from Pietersburg, was shot dead on the pavement along Klipfontein Road around 7pm.
Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel André Traut confirmed the shooting. Her cellphone was taken.
Traut said the woman was about to take a taxi home after visiting Mama Chaka’s restaurant in the area when she was attacked. HOWEVER -- a witness and nearby shop owner said on Monday morning the woman had her own car – a Mini Cooper – parked across the street.
The witness did not want to give her name for fear she would face retribution from the criminals, but pointed out the spot where the victim’s body lay on Sunday night .
“She was beautiful, and very young. She had blonde hair. People were saying she came from Polokwane. They shot her in the heart with two bullets.”
She said the victim had been a customer at the new Mama Chaka’s kiosk, which was opened by celebrity Yvonne Chaka Chaka last month.
The witness said it was time for residents to put their fear aside and speak out about the violent crimes in the area.
“We don’t talk, because we know these people, and we’re scared they will come back and shoot us,” she said. “We must start talking now. It’s bad, we can’t take it any more.”
It is not only fear, but frustration, that deters witnesses from reporting crime.
“If we go to police, they don’t do anything, so we don’t know who we must report to,” she said.
She said with the Gugulethu Beer and Whiskey Festival scheduled for next weekend, and DJ Sbu headlining at Mzoli’s, the area was going to be chaotically busy.
Nearby business owners were concerned that crime would force people to think twice about visiting the area.
Xola Mangi, who owns a hotdog stand in the area, said he was worried his customers would be put off by the violence.
Mangi said with the festival coming up, and the December holidays, the crowds filling up the street would only get rowdier.
“It’s summertime, they want to come enjoy themselves, then it’s going to be chaos.”Mzoli Ngcawuzele said the shooting might put some people off, but wouldn’t put a damper on the upcoming weekend’s festivities.
“We’ve got security in place,” he said.The famous restaurant owner said he had already closed up and gone home at the time of the shooting.
A superette owner on the street, who wanted to remain anonymous, said criminals should have more respect for the businesses that stimulate economic growth in the townships.
“Recently these guys were robbing malls; now they’re coming to the township and taking cellphones,” he said.“People shouldn’t behave this way because they need this business. This is the only way we survive in the townships.”
He said the crime was impacting every business owner on the popular street.“It’s affecting us big-time.”Cape Argus
* The headline of this story has been altered. IOL regrets the omission of quotation marks in the original headline.
http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/young-blonde-tourist-gunned-down-in-gugs-1.1785507#.VHg1rGc7Cos
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