Six people including two minors were shot and killed in KwaZulu-Natal. Image: Pixabay
Eastern Cape mass murder: Child among seven killed on Sunday
Seven people, including an eight-year-old child, were gunned down in a mass murder in the Eastern Cape on Sunday morning.
Six people including two minors were shot and killed in KwaZulu-Natal. Image: Pixabay
Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene has strongly condemned the horrific and senseless mass murder of seven people, including an eight-year-old child.
The incident happened in the early hours of this morning, 19 May.
EASTERN CAPE COMMISSIONER CONDEMNS MASS MURDER
The South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson in the Eastern Cape, Colonel Priscilla Naidu, said they received information during the early hours of Sunday morning of multiple shootings in the Nxanxashe location in Willowvale. Six occupants (five males, including a child, and one female) were mercilessly shot in their Mazda 3 vehicle. At the same time, another person was found dead about a kilometre away in a Toyota Fortuner.
Naidu said police also found, not far from both scenes, an abandoned VW Polo with bloodstains.
“The deceased persons are aged between eight and 45 years old. The motive is under investigation, and there have been no arrests yet.
“Names of the deceased are being verified and will be released once their next of kin has been informed. The Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Investigation Unit will be investigating the murder (seven counts),” Naidu explained.
The Eastern Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant General Mene, has urged anyone with information related to the mass murder to come forward and assist in the investigation.
Mene said the team of experienced detectives will be working tirelessly to uncover the truth behind these senseless killings.
“We are committed to providing the necessary resources and support to ensure a thorough and swift investigation. Such level of violence has no place in our society, and we must unite to combat such heinous crimes,” she said.
MASS SHOOTING LEAVES EIGHT DEAD
In 2023, eight people were shot and killed at a birthday party early in Kwazakhele, also in the Eastern Cape.
Two unknown gunmen entered the yard of a residence in Makanda Street, where the homeowner was having a birthday party, between 17:15 and 17:30 and opened fire.
“Seven people (three females and four males) were fatally injured while another four people (two females and two males) sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital for treatment,” said Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
One of the injured victims died in the hospital. The homeowner was also among the dead.
