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Stellenbosch – What had started as a normal Friday night out at a club in Stellenbosch turned into a night of chaos and trauma, an eyewitness has said.
Lwazi Pakade, a fourth-year political science student at Stellenbosch University, was sitting near the entrance of Cubana with friends shortly before the incident.
“We were sitting chatting. There was some sort of commotion outside, the doors were open, but we didn’t pay attention until the first shot rang out,” he said.
Pakade, 22, said the next thing he remembers is a man running into the club with two more men chasing after him.
“One of the men, a short man in a hoodie, fired two shots in the direction of the dance floor.”
Pakade said the man ran through the crowds towards the bathrooms, while the two men chased after him.
“There was another three shots. By that time everyone was trying to get out, it was chaos,” he said.
“I went over to the woman on the dancefloor. I could see she had been shot on the head… she wasn’t breathing,” he said.
Pakade said after the shooting, club goers were standing around outside shocked and traumatised.
“One girl, I think she is a student, had blood on her. I don’t think it was her blood, but she was crying outside looking for her friends,” he said.
“It was very traumatic. I never thought this could happen here, in Stellenbosch.”
He had read about other recent club shootings, but that had happened in the Cape Town CBD, he said.
Stellenbosch University spokesperson Martin Viljoen told News24 the university community learnt of the news with great concern and sadness, and sends its sincere condolences to all those affected.
No students were killed or injured in the incident, to their knowledge. He said it was possible that students were inside the club at the start of the shooting, raising concern over current safety in public spaces.
"Stellenbosch University has alerted its 24-hour ER crisis line that students may have been affected by the incident. Students can call 0825570880 for support and counselling," he said on Saturday.
Cubana management said they did not want to comment and referred queries to the police.
