Johannesburg – The senseless shooting of three cows in a forest near Mandlanzini in the Richards Bay area in northern KwaZulu-Natal was an act of "exhilarating cruelty, barbarism, and terrorism" and must be condemned, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) said on Sunday.
“We call on the community to exercise restraint and give police [a] chance to speedily bring the heartless perpetrators behind the wanton savagery to book,” Sanco national spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu said, slamming the shooting allegedly carried by two white men on a motorcycle.
"The anger that the bold attack has aroused in Mandlanzini is justified as the lives and livelihoods of the community are under threat," he said. “Until the marauding gang of racists is disarmed and removed from society the aggrieved section of the community that has suffered loses will treat whites around Richards Bay with mistrust.”
An early breakthrough in the police investigation would reduce tension and help restore trust within the farming community, Mahlangu said. The Zululand Observer reported that Richards Bay police station commander Brigadier Brenda Mgenge had also criticised the incident as "cruel and heartless".
According to Mgenge, two unknown men on a motorcycle fired on the herd of cattle. "The perpetrators first drove through the forest around midday and returned at about 3pm, shooting at the grazing cattle and forcing the herdsmen to flee. The herdsmen identified the shooters as two white males,” she reportedly said.
One of the cows was shot eight times and the others had two or three gunshot wounds. "Residents are highly upset and tensions are running high in the community over the brazen attack,” Mgenge reportedly said.