A Cape Town court has handed down life sentences to two Ferodo gang members who fatally shot an eight-months-pregnant woman and wounded six others.
The shootings were a case of mistaken identity rooted in a bloody drug turf war in Kraaifontein.
Killers sentenced for shooting pregnant woman dead in gang mix-up
The Western Cape Division of the High Court in Cape Town recently sentenced Jeremia Fortuin and Ricardo Cloete to effective life imprisonment for the murder of Shahida Nathan, a 21-year-old woman who was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.
The court ordered additional sentences of 107 and 96 years’ direct imprisonment, respectively, to run concurrently with the life terms.
According to the Department of Justice, Crime Prevention and Security, the court convicted both men following a targeted shooting on 21 June 2020 that left Nathan dead and two men wounded.
“The accused were convicted after they fatally shot Shahida Nathan, a 21-year-old, eight-months-pregnant woman, and attempted to kill six others who were mistakenly identified as members of a rival gang, the Mobster,” the department said.
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A night of potjiekos turned fatal
At the time of the shooting, Nathan and six others were gathered in a backyard shack at 30 Klipbok Street, Scottsdene, Kraaifontein.
Two members of the rival Mobster gang, the late Alfredo Titus and the late Ridwaan Smith, had moments earlier fled into the yard of the same property after being spotted by Fortuin and Cloete.
“Titus and Smith ran into the main house, but the accused thought they were in the backyard shack in which Nathan and six others were sitting, enjoying potjiekos and tik lollies,” the department stated.
It described how the fatal error unfolded. “Cloete pointed out the shack to Fortuin, who was armed with an illegal firearm. Fortuin started to shoot at the shack, believing the two rival gang members were inside.”
After opening fire, both accused fled the scene, leaving Nathan fatally wounded and two men, aged 29 and 37, with gunshot injuries.
“The two accused then fled the scene, leaving behind fatally wounded Nathan and two wounded men,” the department confirmed.
Ferodo and Mobster gangs locked in drug turf war over Scottsdene streets
The shooting was rooted in an ongoing turf war between the Ferodo and Mobster gangs, both of which operate in the Scottsdene and Kraaifontein area.
The department noted that at the time of the attack, the two gangs “were in a turf war over the illegal drug trade.”
According to the department, the Ferodo gang operates specifically in a section of Scottsdene known as the Zoo, which encompasses Klipbok Street and the surrounding streets.
The scale of gang activity in the broader area is significant.
“Nine active gang groups are operating in the Kraaifontein area,” the department stated.
“The Ferodo and Mobster gang operate in the Scottsdene, Kraaifontein area.”
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