Cape Flats Residents Attribute Crime to Power Outages

RESIDENTS in Delft and Wesbank assert that the ongoing power outages are fueling violence and fatalities in the community, with some areas deprived of electricity for over a month.

A tragic mass shooting on Saturday resulted in the deaths of four individuals.

Eyewitnesses reported that the victims were celebrating at a home on Strandveld Street when a gunman opened fire, injuring seven people.

A seven-year-old girl narrowly escaped with her life after being shot in the leg.

Colonel Andrè Traut, spokesperson for the South African Police Service, confirmed the details of the incident.

He stated: “Western Cape police are looking into four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder related to a shooting incident in Wesbank on Saturday evening, May 16, 2026.

“Initial investigations suggest that this could be related to gang activity.”

A frustrated Wesbank resident and community leader, Quinton Duiste, expressed that the entire community is suffering due to the power outages.

Quinton added: “All areas are impacted; we have five or ten houses on every street without electricity. The outages are caused by stolen cables, and Eskom isn’t addressing the issue.

“Some homes have been powerless for three months. All we can do is report the issues, but it feels like our hands are tied.

“We’ve had to prevent the community from protesting multiple times because they want to block the R300 and burn tires.

“This is when criminals take advantage, as they can operate unseen.

“We already experienced a mass shooting in our community over the weekend, and we demand that those responsible be apprehended.”

Meanwhile, Delft residents attempted to block Hindle Road on Monday to protest the ongoing darkness they are enduring.

One resident expressed concerns about her house catching fire due to the erratic power supply.

She lamented: “My electricity has been off for weeks. It comes back for a moment, then goes out again. Even when it is on, the supply is so weak that I can’t even boil water; the lights flicker on and off.”

When the Daily Voice reached out to Eskom, our inquiries went unanswered.