By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Service (SAPS) in Western Cape have launched a manhunt for suspects linked to a mass shooting incident in Atlantis on Wednesday night that left five people dead and five injured.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said reports from the scene indicated that the victims were in three vehicles on their way home from Silverstroom beach when the shooting occurred along Old Mamre and Silverstream roads.
“As a consequence, five individuals between the ages of 18 and 30 were fatally wounded and five others rushed to a medical facility after sustaining gunshot wounds,” said Potelwa.
She said Atlantis police were investigating murder and attempted murder charges.
“As the investigation unfolds, it is expected that the motive for the shooting incident will be determined. No arrests have been effected yet,” Potelwa added.
There have been a spate of mass shooting incidents in the Eastern Cape recently with close to 30 people losing their lives.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
There were more than 27,000 murders in 2022 – amounting to 45 people per 100,000, out of a population of almost 60 million. By comparison, the US rate is six per 100,000.