Police Minister Bheki Cele has tasked police with tracking down the masterminds behind a drive-by shooting that claimed the lives of three women and left five others injured in Inanda at the weekend.
Speaking during a visit to the area, Cele said the shooting was an act of intimidation ahead of the local elections.
“Those who committed this horrible act, it’s clear to us that it was more intimidation than targeting a particular person. Police must find out why they did this and who exactly sent them. The fact that this was a political gathering, it’s in this score that the political task team in the province is now investigating this crime and the team is already working on a few leads,” he said.
State Security Agency Deputy Minister, Zizi Kodwa echoed Minister Cele’s sentiments that such cowardly acts won’t go unpunished.
“Such an attack is directed on our Constitution, it’s an attack on the system of democracy. As the JCPS, we would like to encourage South Africans not to be threatened by these acts of intimidation and rest assured that we in the security cluster are working on a plan to protect these elections and ensure the safety of all those participating in the democratic process,” he said.
[LISTEN] Following his visit to the families of the three women killed during the #InandaShooting over the weekend, Minister Cele says the @SAPoliceService will be addressing the families safety concerns following the death of their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/Z5wmwUeip4
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) September 14, 2021
The ministers said part of the plan is to closely monitor identified areas in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and working closely with law enforcement, including the SANDF, in the lead-up to the November 1 local government elections.
Cele and his deputy, Cassel Mathale, as well as Kodwa, were in Durban yesterday where they received a briefing from the investigation team and also conducted a site visit to the crime scene, where Ncami Shange, Beatrice Nzama and Philisiwe Jili were gunned down.
[NOW] Police Minister, General Bheki Cele,DM Cassel Mathale and @StateSecurityRS DM @zizikodwa are receiving a full briefing from the KZN @SAPoliceService on the drive-by shooting at a #Inanda Primary school that claimed the lives of three women and left five people injured. pic.twitter.com/NH6hIhY4GJ
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) September 14, 2021
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