CAPE Town police arrested a 37-year-old suspect in connection with an attempted murder case after a shooting in Elsies River on Friday, 29 May 2026. The incident happened in 12th Avenue, Leonsdale, where a victim was shot and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. An attempted murder case was opened for investigation.
Police said detectives gathered information at the scene and identified the suspect. Members of Operation Lockdown III were brought in to help trace him. Acting on further information, officers went to an address at Nassau Court in 14th Avenue, Leonsdale, where the suspect was believed to be hiding. He was found there and arrested on the attempted murder charge. The firearm allegedly used in the shooting has not yet been recovered.
The suspect was expected to appear in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 1 June 2026.
In a separate incident, police arrested a 41-year-old man in Bonteheuwel in the early hours of Saturday, 30 May 2026, for possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition and drugs. Officers were conducting stop-and-search operations in the area when they noticed the man acting suspiciously on Pendoring Street.
According to police, they searched him and found a 9mm pistol with nine rounds of ammunition, three mandrax tablets, three half mandrax tablets, crushed mandrax, seven sachets of tik and an undisclosed amount of cash believed to be the proceeds of crime. Police said the man resisted arrest and sustained an injury to his arm during the struggle. He was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment before being detained at Bishop Lavis SAPS.
He was expected to appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 1 June 2026, on charges related to the firearm, ammunition and drug possession.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said the arrests formed part of ongoing efforts to combat violent crime and illegal firearms in Cape Town communities. The two cases were handled separately, but both stemmed from proactive policing and follow-up investigations in areas that have experienced serious crime concerns.
The attempted murder case in Elsies River remains under investigation, and police are still searching for the firearm used in the shooting. In the Bonteheuwel matter, detectives will continue to process the case after the suspect’s court appearance.
