Two people have been shot dead, and another injured inside a popular Stellenbosch nightclub, an incident which comes as the bouncer industry in Cape Town has experienced a violent shake up.
News24 understands that the shooting happened at the Cubana night club in Plein Street shortly after midnight on Saturday morning, and that one of the individuals killed had been an innocent bystander.
When contacted by News24, Cubana management said they did not want to comment and referred queries to the police.
Police spokesperson, Captain FC Van Wyk, confirmed that two people, a 30-year-old woman and a 40-year-old man, were fatally wounded and another woman, age unknown, was injured.
Van Wyk said the injured woman had been taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
He said two cases of murder and a case of attempted murder were being investigated.
Several patrons who were in Cubana at the time took to social media to express their shock, with different versions of events.
According to Phaks Photh'inja two men had entered the club, shooting into the crowd while chasing someone towards the bathroom.
Many patrons who witnessed the shooting were traumatised.
Chairperson of the Stellenbosch University SRC, Lwando Nkamisa, called on students affected by the shooting to seek counselling.
"The students who witnessed this violence please come to our offices in the Neelsie top floor if you need someone to talk to, or visit the Counselling Unit in Victoria street or call 082 557 0880 if you need a professional to talk to," he posted.
Nkamisa said he was not sure if the two deceased had ties with the university.The shooting is the third club-related one in about seven months.It was not clear what spurred the Cubana shooting, but the lucrative nightclub security industry has recently spurred violence as two groupings are intent on dominating it.
Areas around Cape Town with hubs of nightclubs on which the groupings have had their focus include Long Street in the city centre, Stellenbosch and Bellville.
The Hawks are heading a mammoth investigation into underworld violence.For a detailed breakdown on what has been happening in the underworld, see News24's showcase Underworld Unmasked here.Earlier this year controversial businessman Nafiz Modack and a group of men starting taking control of the lucrative nightclub security industry in Cape Town from a more established grouping.
They also started doing this in Johannesburg, and more recently, were said to be taking over nightclub security in Durban.This takeover has sparked violence and several shootings.Two patrons were wounded in a shooting inside Cafe Caprice, a restaurant in Camps Bay, on April 17.
Three suspects have since been arrested for this.In an exclusive interview with News24 last month, Modack said he was the intended target of the shooting at Cafe Caprice.
"That particular day, we were supposed to have a meeting there. At the last minute, I cancelled," he said.
A patron and a DJ were also wounded in a shooting just outside Coco nightclub in the Cape Town city centre on May 5, 2017. -- News24