Johannesburg - Between Sunday and today, about 22 people have been gunned down in mass shootings in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal; no arrests have been made yet.
In the midst of these senseless killings, police have asked communities for help and formed task forces to find the perpetrators.
This move has made some South African citizens wonder if the country has the intelligence to curb or investigate the spate of shootings that leave families without breadwinners.
Police have activated a manhunt for an undisclosed number of perpetrators.
Yesterday, Eastern Cape police confirmed that 10 people, including an elderly woman, her daughter and her grandchild were gunned down in the OR Tambo District Municipality, Eastern Cape, in separate incidents.
This has sent shockwaves through the local communities and is not the first time this has happened in the area. In November last year, a total of seven people were shot and killed.
Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene, the Eastern Cape police commissioner, condemned the killings and announced the formation of a task team to find the perpetrators.
SAPS spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said that in the first incident, unknown suspects entered a homestead in the Thantseka location at about 8pm and shot a 62-year-old woman and her 13-year-old grandson.
"It is alleged that they then proceeded to the second house and shot and killed a 44-year-old woman, the daughter of the elderly woman,“ said Naidu.
She said the motive for the attack was unknown.
Naidu said in a second, unrelated incident, unknown gunmen entered a rondavel in Qunu and opened fire on seven people (four men and three women).
“All seven were fatally wounded. It has not yet been established whether the two incidents are linked,” she said.
Unathi Ncedeni, who lost two relatives in the shooting, said the place was a drug den and the killings were drug-related.
Ncedeni said the house belonged to one of the victims, a 46-year-old.
He said he was called in after witnesses noticed his two relatives were among the people confirmed dead.
“This place is a known drug den, and there was a war between different gangsters that led to this killing. Another man survived because he did not have enough money to buy drugs; that is how he survived,” said Ncedeni.
Naidu said that anyone with information which could lead to the arrest of the suspects was urged to contact the station commander of SAPS Bityi, Lieutenant-Colonel Lindile Maqungwana, at 079 696 0708.
In KwaMashu hostel in KZN, a total of four people were declared dead, and police are investigating the case.
Eight people were killed in a mass murder in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape, in January.
A crime expert believes that the country has capable intelligence and said they only needed support from management to execute their mandate.
Chad Thomas, an organised and financial crime investigator at IRS Forensic Investigations, said that access by the authorities to actionable intelligence was a problem.
“SAPS Crime Intelligence has dedicated members who are able and willing to work on special projects and infiltrate syndicates. The problem lies with the fact that there are too few members, outdated technology, and interference in their work by those with an agenda. Many lost faith in the ability of the crime intelligence component of SAPS as a result of the perception that they were being used to fight political battles and corrupt leadership, such as ex-head Mdluli. The reality on the ground is that the members of crime intelligence are trying their utmost to win back confidence in their crime fighting abilities, but they need support from the national commissioner in terms of increased personnel and the right tools to allow for successful intelligence gathering,” Thomas said.
According to Adele Kirsten, spokesperson for Gun Free South Africa, the recent shootings are a grim reminder that South Africa is dealing with a gun violence epidemic.
“What this means is that gun violence is out of control because guns are too easily available. This means that it’s become the weapon of choice for criminals - and there are some really worrying trends that have that we’ve been seeing over the last year,” Kirsten said.
The Star