KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has called on police to leave no stone unturned in finding the gunmen involved in the spate of mass shootings, which claimed the lives of 11 people over the weekend.
According to police reports, the latest incident happened on Saturday at 1:30pm in Ndwedwe Mission, north of Durban, where unknown assailants opened fire on a group of men, who were sitting on the veranda of a tuck shop.
The gunmen fled the scene immediately. Four men were declared dead at the scene, while three others were taken to hospital for medical attention. One of the men later died in hospital.
In a separate incident that took place at 10:30pm on Friday, six people were shot dead and one was left injured at an informal settlement in Clermont, when unknown gunmen started shooting randomly. The gunmen fled the scene.
Dube-Ncube has expressed outrage after learning about the heartless mass shootings in the province, and sent her deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives due to the senseless murders.
“We unreservedly condemn in the strongest possible terms the brutal murder of 11 people in Ndwedwe and Clermont at the weekend, and call on the police to scour every nook and cranny of the province, and to strain every nerve in their bodies to find the perpetrators of this horrendous act so that they can be brought to book.
“As we are approaching the festive season, police have been tasked to identify all crime hotspots in the province as part of our comprehensive Festive Season Integrated Safety Plan and deploy additional officers in order to beef-up visibility. We will not allow a situation whereby citizens live in fear,” Dube-Ncube said.
The Premier reiterated that the provincial government has a zero-tolerance stance towards all types of crime, especially murder.
She also called on members of the community to come forward with information that can assist police in the investigation.
“Issues pertaining to safety and security require an integrated approach from all sectors of society. Government, business, civil society, including community policing fora, need to work together to address criminal activities and instability in order to ensure a safe society and thriving economy.
”We will never win the war against crime if community members continue to protect criminals,” Dube-Ncube said.
The Provincial Organised Crime Unit is investigating cases of murder and attempted murder.