The community of Lavender Hill has welcomed the Western Cape High Court’s sentencing of Fast Guns gang members Carlo Hofmeester and Chadwin Isaacs, who received life imprisonment for the 2019 murder of five-year-old Valentino Grootetjie.
Police spokesperson Anelisiwe Manyana said the incident occurred while Valentino was playing in his backyard.
“Initial reports revealed that on December 21, 2019, two unknown suspects boldly entered a premises in Drury Court, Lavender Hill, and opened fire which led to the death of a 5-year-old and serious injury to a 22-year-old man,” said Manyana. “The investigation of the murder and attempted murder case was taken over by the Anti-Gang Unit detectives who worked tirelessly to apprehend the people behind the shooting,” she added.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Judge Melanie Holderness found the accused showed no remorse for their actions.
“They both received 90 years’ direct imprisonment for the nine attempted murders and eight years’ direct imprisonment for the illegal possession of firearms as well as ammunition,” he stated.
