BONTEHEUWEL ward councillor Angus McKenzie has called on anyone to come forward with information following a video circulating on social media showing a man recklessly firing what appears to be a shotgun.
In the video, a woman carrying a baby can be seen walking past the shooter as the shots go off in the opposite direction.
It is not yet clear when the incident occurred or the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
According to McKenzie, the shooting is related to ongoing tensions between two rival gangs.
He wysed: “We are well aware that in this specific incident here, it is currently a gang fight going between the Fancy Boys and the Americans. And it’s purely just to expand on their gun territory.
“I must commend the community. Yesterday in itself there were a number of gang-related arrests in Bonteheuwel’s A and B blocks.”
He said thanks to the cooperation between the community and various law enforcement agencies, the suspect has been identified.
He added: “We searched relentlessly for the individual identified in the video. We know who he is. We know exactly his history. He was lucky to get away last night.”
ActionSA MP Dereleen James also raised concerns about the proliferation of illegal firearms in communities.
“As guns are being taken off the streets, more guns are coming into our communities.
“This speaks to guns that are lying in police storerooms that are not finding their way to forensics and destruction labs.
“Drugs and guns that are taken off the streets have no business being at a police station for longer than a week. And that is why we would see videos circulating of people with shotguns and all sorts of things,” she told Daily Voice on Wednesday.
While McKenzie confirmed that law enforcement agencies had launched a manhunt for those involved in the shooting, police in the province said the shooting had not yet been reported.
“Bishop Lavis police have no record of the incident. It has not been reported yet,” said police spokesperson Ndakhe Gwala.