A Community Policing Forum in Durban’s largest township, Umlazi says Q section is one of the crime hotspots in the area. This follows the killing of eight people over the weekend. Six people were shot dead by four armed men in two shooting incidents before midnight on Friday. On Saturday, two more victims were shot and killed in the same section.
The Umlazi and Inanda police stations registered a high number of murders between January and March of this year. In June, seven people were shot and killed at the Glebelands hostel in Umlazi. The local policing forum claims that firearms and ammunition that were stolen during the July unrest in 2021, contribute to the high murder rate.
“What we think is happening at Q section is that there are people coming from outside the section and we suspect that most of the crime in that area is drug related because when crime levels go down shortly after that, there’ll be a shooting at one of the houses,” says Mandlenkosi Ngcobo, CPF chairperson.
Police say they are still investigating whether the incidents are linked.
“Information gathered so far suggests that the suspects were allegedly looking for the second victim but shot the first victim in a case of mistaken identity. The two victims were wearing similar clothes. It has not yet been established if the incident is anyway related to the shooting of six people in the same section on Friday night. Police investigations continue,” says Col Robert Netshiunda, SAPS spokesperson.
Police say three of the attackers have been identified including a gang leader who’s wanted for murder. Investigations have so far revealed that the suspect believed the victims were in possession of his identity document, which he lost during a previous shooting.
