The community of Bonteheuwel gathered on Saturday to bury two-month-old Moegsien Isaacs, who was killed in a shooting at his family home last Friday morning.
Baby Moegsien Isaacs laid to rest
The incident has left residents deeply shaken, with many describing the killing as one of the most tragic cases of gang violence in the area.
According to the official police report, two men stormed the Isaacs home in Yellowwood Road and opened fire. Baby Moegsien was struck by a single bullet and died instantly. The suspects fled the scene and are still at large.
Some community members believe the shooting was linked to ongoing gang conflict in Bonteheuwel. The community policing forum has appealed to residents to stand together against crime and assist authorities with information.
Suspect’s history of firearm arrests
According to JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, one of the suspects linked to the case has been repeatedly arrested in the past for gun-related crimes.
“In 2016, our officers arrested this very suspect in Bishop Lavis with an illegal firearm. The case was withdrawn. In 2019, we arrested him again, this time with yet another firearm. Four months later, again the case was withdrawn,” Smith said.
He added that had the justice system dealt with the earlier arrests properly, the baby’s death might have been prevented.
“Today, nearly a decade later, this same suspect is on the run once again — and still destroying lives,” Smith said.
Why cases collapse in court
Smith explained that while the City’s law enforcement officers often recover guns, drugs, and stolen cars, the justice system frequently fails to secure convictions. He said this happens for several reasons:
- Case files, known as dockets, are sometimes incomplete.
- Forensic reports, which are scientific tests used to link suspects to crimes, often arrive late or not at all.
- Detectives are overwhelmed with too many cases, which makes proper investigations difficult.
- As a result, cases collapse in court, and suspects are released back into the community.
Smith argued that the City of Cape Town’s Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers should be allowed to handle their own investigations, instead of only handing suspects over to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
“We must be allowed to investigate our own cases. We must be allowed to compile our own dockets. We must be allowed to complete our own forensic reports. Only then can we ensure the criminals we arrest remain behind bars,” he said.
He added that in August alone, LEAP officers seized 12 illegal firearms, along with ammunition, drugs, and a hijacked vehicle.
The death of baby Moegsien Isaacs comes during a week of violence in which children have been among the victims.
On Tuesday, 11-year-old Esmine Franke was killed in Wallacedene, Kraaifontein. Two other children she was playing with, including an eight-year-old girl, were also shot and wounded. That shooting is also believed to be gang-related.