Detectives have made a breakthrough with the arrest of an alleged drug dealer in connection with the fatal shooting of four men at a house in Tulbagh in the Western Cape.

The victims were shot dead at about 9pm last Saturday, when an unknown number of suspects approached six men and three women socialising at a residence in Jooste Street and opened fire.

Four men, aged 30, 32, 33 and 37, were killed and a fifth was admitted to hospital. The three women and one man escaped the attack unharmed.

“The meticulous investigation into the circumstances that left four male victims killed and another one wounded on Saturday evening in Tulbagh led to the arrest of a suspect [on Tuesday],” said police spokesperson Col Andrè Traut.

“Detectives attached to the Western Cape serious and violent crime investigation unit pursued all avenues and conducted their search for a known drug dealer in the local Marikana informal settlement, which resulted in the arrest of a 29-year-old undocumented Lesotho national.

“The suspect is scheduled to make his court appearance in Tulbagh ... where he will face four murder charges and one attempted murder charge. The investigation is still under way and the possibility of more arrests is not excluded,” added Traut.

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