By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The death toll in the mass shooting at a tuckshop in KwaZulu-Natal has increased to seven.
The seventh victim succumbed to their injuries in hospital on Sunday morning in a shooting that initially left two people wounded.
A group of gunmen opened fire at people standing near Siqhopholozi tuckshop at the corner of Mpanza and Nxele street in Savannah Park, in Marianhill on Saturday night.
According to police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker, initial investigations revealed that three of the deceased were the tuckshop owner as well as his two sons and one of the deceased’s who was waiting at the tuckshop to see a traditional healer, might have been the actual target of the hit.
Naicker said police are on the hunt for the suspects responsible for the attack.
“This incident once again demonstrates our concern that firearms are contributing to the high levels of crime in the province and we are advocating for stricter regulations regarding the management of legal firearms as many of them end up being used by criminals,” KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi added.
Addressing the media on the sidelines of the ANC policy conference, minister of Police Bheki Cele expressed concern at the violent nature of crime in different parts of the country but stressed that it is not the police alone who can bring the situation under control.
Cele says there is no evidence that the shootings are linked. He said he is hoping that the policy conference will also come up with solutions on how to better deal with violent crime in the country.
“There is nothing that says the motive is similar but we do find a lot of illegal guns,” said Cele.
Cele did not want to respond directly to calls for him to resign, except to say that crime in many parts of the country is caused by a number of issues, including high unemployment rates and poverty.
“The crime situation cannot be the police alone.
Cele said preliminary investigations into the tuckshop shooting in Marianhill suggest that the suspects were targeting two or three people. He said the other victims were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“But it looks like we are getting a positive response from the community, we are getting some indication or direction to follow.