News24 | UPDATE | Boy, 9, shot dead in triple murder in Cape Town ‘horror house’

Three people, including a 9-year-old boy, have been shot dead in Mitchells Plain.

• Three people were shot dead inside a house in Mitchells Plain on Tuesday night.
• Among the casualties was a 9-year-old boy.
• No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

A blood-spattered toy car was found next to the dead body of a 9-year-old boy who was killed in a triple murder in Mitchells Plain, Cape Town, on Tuesday night.

Zacariah Bailey Mathee was gunned down inside what residents have long called a “horror house” on Viscount Street – a property notorious for gang activity.

Police say four unidentified gunmen stormed the premises on Tuesday night, unleashing a volley of bullets before entering the house and killing the child, 21-year-old Chloe Bailey and 26-year-old Moegsien Daniels.

Why young Zacariah was inside the house associated with gang activity remains unclear.

Western Cape police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed the casualties and added that the victims were not related.

Two other men, aged 36 and 51, were critically wounded and rushed to a hospital.

Anti-Gang Unit detectives have been assigned to the case, according to Traut, and are pursuing “several promising leads”.

Police officers had been patrolling nearby when alerts to the shooting came in, Mitchells Plain station commander Brigadier Brian Muller said.

“At this stage, we cannot identify if the gunmen were from the area or from outside Mitchells Plain,” he added.

He said the house, which was once controlled by the Americans gang, had since been taken over by the Fancy Boys.

No firearms were found on the site.

To the Cape Flats Safety Forum, the tragedy was both predictable and preventable.

 The organisation’s secretary, Lynn Phillips, said the property had long functioned as a base for gang operations.

“It’s a horror house. There have been many murders in that house over the years, and still nothing is being done to either shut it down or have it demolished. It is a problematic property,” Phillips said.

The house is owned by the City of Cape Town, she added before demanding immediate action.

“That house must be demolished. People are dying there on a regular basis. That little boy, Zacariah Bailey, was collateral damage and should not have been killed in such a manner. How cruel does one have to be to openly shoot dead a child, an innocent child?” she said.

 Phillips described the scene as haunting.

“It’s just heartbreaking stuff. All I can think of is that he was playing with his toy when those thugs came and shot at everyone inside,” she said.

Two neighbours, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for their safety, said the house was a hub for drug use and “gang operations”.

One resident said police surveillance of the property was well-known in the community.

“That is a known gang house. They know for a fact that police monitor that house, which is why police were not able to find guns there on Tuesday, or a few weeks ago when the house was raided,” the neighbour said.

Another local recalled the rapid, relentless gunfire.

“The shooting just went on and on. It’s like it wasn’t going to stop. The dogs were barking like mad, and the children inside my house were screaming. It really was like a movie,” she said.

 By Wednesday morning, no arrests had been made.

Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembisile Patekile condemned the attack and promised an uncompromising response against gang violence.

“This cowardly and senseless act will not go unanswered. Gangsterism has no place in our society. We will not allow criminals to hold our communities hostage through fear and violence,” he said. 

“The South African Police Service will not relent. We will tighten the net around these criminal elements and ensure that every individual involved in violent gang activity is brought before the law.”

Patekile issued a direct warning to gang members: “Your days of terror are numbered. We are coming, and we will ensure you face the full might of the law.”

The City of Cape Town has been approached for comment, which will be added once received.