Moegamat Zain, a 28-year-old barber, was shot dead outside his barbershop in Lavender Hill on Sunday, 6 September 2026, marking the second fatal shooting in the area within 24 hours. The Cape Argus, which first reported the killing on 7 September, described him as a father of three who was hit by at least seven bullets in his back.
Residents told the Cape Argus that suspects riding bicycles approached Zain’s barbershop before opening fire. “When he noticed the men on the bicycles pulling out firearms, he jumped up and tried to run away, but they started shooting,” an unnamed source told the newspaper.
The same source denied any gang link to the 28-year-old. “Moegamat was not a gangster; he had no affiliation to any gang,” the source said.
A day earlier, on Saturday, 5 September 2026, a 40-year-old man was shot dead and a 26-year-old man was wounded in St Boniface Street in St Montague Village, Lavender Hill. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed that shooting, saying unknown suspects opened fire from a Toyota Quantum before fleeing the scene.
“Police members attended the crime scene where they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies,” Twigg said. “The 40-year-old victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel, while the other victim was transported to a medical facility for treatment.”
The Cape Argus reported that the 26-year-old wounded man lay injured for more than two and a half hours before paramedics reached him. That delay has not been independently confirmed by Cape Flats News.
The back-to-back killings add to a wave of gun violence across Cape Town communities, with separate shootings recently reported in Valhalla Park and Helenvale under police investigation. No arrests have been announced in either Lavender Hill case.
The claim that Zain was struck by seven bullets, the detail about suspects on bicycles, and the report that he was a father of three each rest on a single source. SAPS has not yet released a formal statement on the barbershop shooting, and Cape Flats News is seeking confirmation from SAPS Lavender Hill.
This article will be updated once police provide verified details on both incidents. Reporting by Nadia Adams, Cape Flats News; our journalist will follow up with SAPS Lavender Hill by close of business on 8 September 2026.