Police Minister Bheki Cele says at least three of the 11 people who were shot and killed in Umlazi in the last week, were suspects in criminal matters.
On Tuesday night, five people were shot and killed after three gunmen burst into a house in W-section.
It is believed that among the dead was a former prisoner who had just been released from prison.
Police Minister Bheki Cele to receive a briefing on recent shootings in Umlazi:
In a separate incident at the weekend, six people were shot and killed in the same area.
Cele says no arrests have been made so far.
“No doubt about it. Police have profiled those people so from that angle of them being profiled three of those people were involved in unsavoury and wrong things that are a fact.
This guy who was being celebrated because he was released from prison is a fact having been sentenced to 12 years and all 12 years suspended it could be the community got fed up with that person. So we can’t rule out anything and the job of the police is to find the killers.”
Concerns over killings
In a statement on Wednesday, the provincial MEC for Community Safety and Liaison Peggy Nkonyeni expressed concerns about the growing number of killings in the area.
“Over the past few days, 11 people have been killed in this township in two separate incidents. On Sunday at U-section six men were shot and killed.
“Equally yesterday [on Tuesday] at W-section, five males were attacked and killed. The MEC is concerned that this seems to be a growing trend in this township and placing the lives of other people in danger. We are calling for an urgent investigation in all these incidents regardless of what is the motive of these killings,” explains KZN Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Spokesperson, Kwanele Ncalane.
In the video below, SABC Reporter Vusi Khumalo provides more details of Saturday’s shooting:
