Western Cape police are investigating the death of a 2-year-old boy after he was killed in the crossfire of alleged gang violence in Hanover Park over the weekend.

At around 21:35 on Friday, the child was shot while in the presence of his mother in Athwood Road in Hanover Park, police said. The mother was uninjured.

Police urged all persons with information regarding the incident to contact the authorities, as the suspects in the shooting have yet to be arrested.

This most recent killing of a young child is the latest tragedy in the ongoing epidemic of gang violence in the Western Cape.

On Saturday, police said they could not rule out the possibility that a shooting at a petrol station in Kenilworth, Cape Town on Saturday - in which an unidentified 46-year-old man was killed - was gang related.

Viral video

Video footage of the shooting went viral over the weekend, showing two gunmen approach the man's blue BMW while he was filling up.

Four men have been arrested following the incident.

Two weeks ago, another boy, 5, was shot three times and survived in another incident of suspected gang violence.

News24 previously reported that the 5-year-old child, along with a little girl and a 32-year-old man, was shot and injured in Syringa Street, Bonteheuwel on Sunday afternoon March, 24.

Three weeks prior, a 3-year-old died in hospital after being caught in crossfire in a shootout in Rylands, Cape Town, News24 previously reported.

In February of this year, Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police heard testimony from residents living in gang-infested areas to determine how effective the police's anti-gang strategy is.

This after President Cyril Ramaphosa launched a dedicated Anti-Gang Unit in November 2018.

At the time, Police Minister Bheki Cele said in total the Anti-Gang Unit had made 119 arrests and at least 10 investigations had been opened for crimes related to the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), adding that around 266 gang strongholds had also been infiltrated by the unit.

Cele was also reported by News24 as having stated that he spends most of his time and resources in the Western Cape because of the high prevalence of gang-related deaths in the province.

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