Knysna has been rocked by a second deadly shooting in as many days after former councillor Mandla Matiwane and Knysna Taxi Forum secretary Mandla Tyololo were shot dead in Bongani on Thursday night.
The killings came just a day after former Knysna mayor and ANC Ward 8 councillor Aubrey Tsengwa was gunned down in Joodsekamp, raising questions over whether the two attacks could be connected. Police have not established a link between the incidents and said the motives remain under investigation.
Police launch manhunt
Western Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said Matiwane and Tyololo, aged 47 and 48 respectively, were inside a vehicle in Bongani at about 9pm when gunmen opened fire.
“The provincial serious violent crimes detective team that had been investigating another shooting incident in the area that had occurred on Wednesday evening involving a councillor in the area, has since been reinforced,” Potelwa said.
“The motive for both shootings remains the subject of the police investigation.”
No arrests have been made in either case, while detectives from the provincial serious violent crime unit are continuing with the investigation.
Tsengwa killed 24 hours earlier
Tsengwa, 48, was shot on Wednesday night while travelling home in Ngxalo Street in Joodsekamp.
According to police, an unidentified gunman approached his vehicle at about 9.20pm and opened fire before fleeing on foot. Tsengwa sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his head and upper body and was declared dead at the scene.
One of the three passengers in the vehicle was shot in the arm and taken to hospital.
Police are investigating a murder and three counts of attempted murder in connection with Tsengwa’s death. Sergeant Wesley Twigg previously said the motive had not yet been established.
Matiwane and Tyololo linked to past murder case
The latest victims had previously featured on opposite sides of a high-profile murder case involving ANC councillor Victor Molosi.
Molosi, who was also the ANC’s Knysna mayoral candidate, was shot in the head outside his home in Concordia in July 2018.
Tyololo was arrested weeks later and charged with conspiring to have Molosi killed. He spent more than two years in custody before being acquitted by the Knysna Regional Court in August 2020.
Matiwane was a state witness during the trial. He had previously served as an ANC councillor after winning Ward 7 in the 2016 local government elections.
Three other men were convicted of Molosi’s murder in December 2019: former Ward 4 councillor Velile Waxa, former municipal official Mawande Makhala and Cape Town resident Vela Patrick Dumile.
Police investigating whether shootings are connected
The proximity of the killings has heightened concern in the Knysna community, but authorities have cautioned against drawing conclusions while investigations are ongoing.
Police have not confirmed that the deaths of Tsengwa, Matiwane and Tyololo are related.
Potelwa said detectives were examining the circumstances surrounding both shootings and pursuing leads that could identify those responsible.
The investigation remains active and police have appealed for information that could assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
