KEY POINTS
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Police launched an investigation into the Baden Powell murders and road safety concerns.
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Residents demand urgent lighting and surveillance to prevent future deaths.
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The Baden Powell murders and road safety concerns continue to haunt the community.
Following the discovery of two deaths in roadside bushes on May 2, the infamous Baden Powell Drive in Strandfontein gained attention once more.
Bodies found raise Baden Powell murders and road safety concerns
Officers looked into the area off the hazardous road when a bystander spotted the males and waved a patrol van.
Both deceased were later recognized by police as men in their early thirties who had been fatally shot in the head.
After the gruesome find along the notorious road, Strandfontein SAPS filed two murder charges, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie.
Since the investigation started last Friday, no arrests have been made, and authorities have not identified a motive for the killings.
Along this gloomy and lawless stretch, there have been numerous violent and unsolved incidents reported, and the current double homicide adds to the long list.
The road’s terrible reputation was further highlighted two years ago when a half-naked woman’s body was discovered between Khayelitsha and Strandfontein.
According to Iol, police found the body of an abducted guy in dense roadside bushes along the same path just weeks before to that event.
Another man was discovered dead at the “S-bend,” behind public restrooms, allegedly by assailants connected to a nearby cab.
Investigators found the bodies of a man and a woman in 2022. They were both bound, shot, and left on the beach close to the curve.
Masking tape was used to tie the victims’ hands and feet, indicating that this infamous seaside route was the scene of another ruthless execution-style murder.
Despite these instances, city and provincial authorities have consistently failed to respond to community requests for improved safety infrastructure.
Residents continue to feel abandoned and vulnerable by the government as basic needs like illumination and working CCTV cameras are not provided.
Leaders demand action as city stalls on infrastructure
The local Community Policing Forum’s head, Sandy Schuter Flowers, has repeatedly blasted the City for doing nothing to address the road’s hazards.
She noted that since there was never any illumination on Baden Powell, theft cannot be used as an excuse and that their requests are still the same.
Flowers said, “It’s always been a dark, unsafe road,” and she called on authorities to take decisive action to address the ongoing safety issue.
Many locals now wonder how many more people may die before the City takes action on their long-standing need for help.
