Man arrested for suspected gang murder

A 21-year-old man from Langa was arrested on Friday afternoon for his alleged role in the murder of a Kamesh man on Thursday.

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the murder of  Lewin Cowie, 21,

was gang-related and that the suspect was arrested at his house on Friday by the provincial gang unit.

At about 2.30pm on Thursday, Cowie was in Spekboom Street, Kamesh, when he was approached by the suspect, who fired several shots,  fatally injuring him.

“The suspect ran down the road where he was joined by another male,” Naidu said.

A witness who heard the gunshots and saw the suspect running away from the shooting chased after them in his private car, she said.

During the chase, the two men allegedly ran into a yard and disappeared before dropping a  bag containing a 9mm pistol. 

Naidu said  the pistol was reportedly stolen in Humewood in May 2018. The recovered firearm was sent for ballistic tests  and analysis.

“The incident is gang-related but the motive for the murder is not clear at this stage,” she said.

The alleged shooter is expected to appear in the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on a charge of murder.