Cele says the ‘massacre’ of nine people in eight to 10 hours in one KZN township is ‘quite serious’

Police Minister Bheki Cele has expressed his concern over the murders that took place over the weekend at a township in KwaZulu-Natal.

“To lose nine people, massacred and murdered in a question of about eight to 10 hours in one place, that’s quite serious,” Cele said on Monday, during a visit to the families of the deceased.

The minister said the murders were why during his visit he was accompanied by a delegation which included police commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, the head of the Hawks, Lieutenant General Godfrey Lebeya, and detectives from the national intelligence office who will assist the KwaZulu-Natal South African Police Service (SAPS) in their investigations into the murders.

Cele’s visit on Monday comes after five people were shot dead execution-style in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.

The minister said according to information the police have obtained, another group of people who were accused of stock theft were “executed” after they were picked up and “put in one place”.

Cele said the group of people who were accused of stock theft were shot and killed on Sunday.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said the four people accused of stock theft were aged between 17 and 24 and “were fatally shot by unknown people at Zwelibomvu in KwaNdengezi”.

On Saturday at around 9 pm, six people who were in a vehicle at Snethemba area in Kwandengezi were ordered out of it by unknown men who fired multiple shots at them, killing five and seriously injuring one woman, KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Mbele said.

“KwaNdengezi police are investigating a docket of five counts of murder and attempted murder,” Mbele said in response to the alleged method of execution.

Mbele said three of the victims are women.

“No argument, no nothing, no scuffle, just that kind of criminality,” Cele said.

The minister said the Saturday murder was at this stage “quite raw to give any indication” but that the police are “hopeful” and are following leads.

“But when it comes to motive, it’s really not there, except that people are counting out that it could be political, it’s a pure crime. Ndengezi itself is known for these kinds of killings, we have been to this township many a time,” the minister said, adding that the Saturday murders were very bizarre.

Cele said police have noticed that people in the area tend to take the law into their own hands.

“That’s the main call we are making. That nobody has any form of any right to take the law in his or her hand,” Cele said, adding that doing so is a punishable crime.

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