Bloody weekend in Cape Town: 9 people killed in Mfuleni and Vrygrond

CAPE TOWN - It's been a bloody weekend in Cape Town after nine people were killed in Mfuleni and Vrygrond.

In one incident, five men aged between 19 and 30 were shot and killed in Mfuleni on Sunday afternoon.

A few hours later, a man was shot dead in Mfuleni's Extension 2, and a 12-year-old child was also injured in that shooting.

A shooting related to taxi violence also saw three people killed and two others injured in Vrygrond on Saturday.

Western Cape Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile visited the crime scene where the mass murder took place in Mfuleni.

Two gunmen armed with an assault rifle and a handgun allegedly entered the shack where five men were sitting and started shooting.

Patekile says they believe the motive to be extortion.

"We don't know why all of a sudden they were looked for, but what we know is that there was somebody the shooters were looking for that they could not find in the house, which we are now informed that he's one of the leaders in the extortion groupings."

No arrests have been made in any of the shooting incidents.

Police say the deceased men were no strangers to the law, some with pending criminal cases before the courts.

Provincial Police Commissioner Thembisile Patekile believes that the intend target of the hit was not present at the house when the shooting happened.

Patekile say they suspect the motive to be extortion related.

"But our investigation as we continue will tell us about other motives. But what we know is that the person that own the informal house behind us was also having a criminal case going in court of a rape case. Two of those that died with him had previous cases that were dealt with in 2017 and 2018."