By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Seven people were shot dead at the notorious Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi, Durban on Saturday.
The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday morning, 3 June.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker, seven of the men died on the scene and two were taken to hospital for treatment for serious injuries.
“Police at Umlazi have opened a docket containing seven counts of murder and two attempted murders following a shooting incident,” Naicker said.
“The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage. Detectives from the Provincial Task Team have been instructed to probe the incident,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka appealed to the Umlazi community to help the police find the perpetrators.
“The motive of this callous killing is [the] subject of an investigation and the police have assembled a high-level team to hunt down the suspects,” Hlomuka said.
Hlomuka added, “It is shocking that, once again, we are witnessing such a heinous crime. It is unacceptable to have so many people killed. We have been assured by the police that a team has been assembled and is working on the case.”
He said the incident happened after the release of crime statistics which brought several police stations, including the Umlazi police station, into focus.
“The police station is featured amongst top leading crime stations in murder cases,” he added.
Hlomuka said, his department would deploy more resources, including vehicles and personnel, to affect the police stations.
Police have urged anyone who has information that can assist in the investigation to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MYSAPS APP.