Police Minister Bheki Cele says police have launched a massive manhunt for suspects in the murder of nine people in two separate incidents at KwaNdengezi, near Mariannhill, west of Durban.
In one of the incidents, five people including teachers, were killed in cold blood in execution style.
In another shooting incident, four people were killed in what police believe is related to stock theft.
A pool of blood, covered with sand, could still be seen on the side of the road, where five of the six perished when they were shot dead by unknown people. The six, including three teachers, were allegedly ordered out of their car before they were shot and killed.
The sixth victim, also a teacher from Njengabantu Primary School, outside Pietermaritzburg, is fighting for her life in hospital.
On Monday, Minister Cele, accompanied by National Police Commissioner Khehla Sitole and Community Safety and Liaison MEC Bheki Ntuli, met with the families of the six victims.
“The first information is that they were accused of having committed some kind of a crime. They talk about stock theft and it looks like those people were picked and put in one place and they were executed. The second one looks like the people who were driving six in a car. The other information they say those people were together where they came from; others say they met on the way, ordered them to get off the car,” says Cele.
Relatives of the victims are still shocked. They say they hope police will get to the root cause of the murder of their love ones.
A task team has been set up to investigate the weekend incidents.
Cele adds that police will also be deployed to KwaNdengezi to monitor the area.
