Fear and grief grip Browns Farm, in Nyanga, following another mass killing in the area.
On Sunday May 5, at 6.20pm, gunmen opened fire on a house in Mazizini, killing three men and gravely injuring another five, one of whom died later in hospital, say police.
All the dead were in their 20s and the wounded were aged from 27 to 35, said provincial police spokesman Colonel Andre Traut.
The shooting comes barely a week after four people were killed in the area, meaning eight people have been killed in Nyanga in less than seven days, according to Police Oversight and Community Safety MEC Reagen Allen.
“The third-quarter crime statistics, October to December 2023, show 15 instances of mass killings,” he said. “These consisted of 14 incidents where three people were killed and where four were murdered.
“Our data has already shown that most murders occur between Saturday evening and the early hours of Monday morning.
“These are related to various causes, which, among others, include interpersonal violence, drug and alcohol abuse, gang violence and extortions.”
Mr Allen said he was deeply concerned about how police intelligence was being operationalised, if at all.
He said he had written to the provincial police commissioner for urgent feedback on how SAPS was intervening in the area.
Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers – who are provided by the Province and the City – would remain in the area to continue assisting SAPS, he said.
Mr Allen urged those with information about the killings to come forward.
Nyanga Community Police Forum chairperson Dumisani Qwebe said they were shocked to learn of the shooting and puzzled about the motive for it.
He said the police patrolled the area and they could not be blamed for what had happened. He said he hoped the police would make every effort to bring the killers to justice.
