Revenge is suspected to be a possible motive behind the shocking murders of 18 people in a shooting in Lusikisiki, in the Eastern Cape.
The death toll rose to 18 after one of the victims died in hospital on Sunday.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola said a team of detectives and forensic experts had been deployed to investigate the murders in Ngobozana village on Saturday morning.
Police have also confirmed that 15 of the slain were women.
The police ministry said the callous attack took place at two homesteads during the early hours of the morning.
“In the first homestead, four people were shot and killed, with no survivors.
In the second homestead, there were 19 people in two different houses in the same yard. Thirteen people were shot and killed. Six people survived, including a two-month-old baby.”
The police ministry added that the team deployed would piece together all evidence in a bid to apprehend the perpetrators.
“We have full faith and confidence in the team that has been deployed to crack this case and find these criminals.
Either they hand themselves over or we will fetch them ourselves. We urge our men and women in blue to continue to assert the authority of the state for the benefit of our communities.
“We will leave no stone unturned in solving cases and hunting down perpetrators. We continue to urge communities to work closely with the police in sharing information and providing tip-offs.”
Crime expert Calvin Rafadi said while the motive for the killing is unknown at this stage, it is suspected to be a revenge killing.
“What can be said is that the government should declare this as an emergency. The threat analysis shows that women are the targets of these killings.
The military must be brought in to root out the firearms in the area.
“Currently, what is happening is that people are scared to share the truth with police or entities as they fear they may be the next victims of crime.
“It’s like a war zone and while experts are able to say that the intelligence is reactive in nature and police are overwhelmed with the crime, the tactics around crime combating has to change.
The current strategies have yielded no results and a new approach must be taken.
“The entities that need to be called together are the Presidency, the premier of the province and the leaders of the kingdoms.
“But they must work together...when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers and that is what is happening in this case,” said Rafadi.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has condemned the killings.
“My heart bleeds for the families and loved ones of the victims. I extend my deepest and heartfelt condolences to them during this unbearable moment.
I am profoundly saddened and shocked by these incidents.
“The loss of life on this scale is a devastating blow to our province, and we mourn the passing of these innocent lives. We stand in solidarity with the families and communities affected. The brutal and senseless killing of innocent people is a heinous act that has no place in our society,” said Mabuyane.
IFP national spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said: “We are deeply disturbed by this horrific act of violence and extend our sincerest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
“We call upon law enforcement agencies to swiftly investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
“We urge the community to remain calm and co-operate with authorities to ensure that peace and stability are restored.”
DA spokesperson on police, Ian Cameron, said urgent and decisive action must be taken by the SAPS, in close co-operation with Crime Intelligence, to ensure that the perpetrators were swiftly brought to justice.
“The DA calls on the South African law enforcement agencies to establish a multidisciplinary team to effectively deal with this investigation, with close co-operation between the SAPS, the Hawks, and the NPA.
“In the past three months alone, 6 198 South Africans have lost their lives to violent crime, of which 966 were women, and 314 children, each representing a family that has lost a loved one and a community left to mourn.”
Chad Thomas, an organised crime investigator from IRS Forensic Investigations, said there was a surge in serious and violent crimes playing out across the social spectrum.
“One of the primary reasons for this is the fact that many perpetrators of crime know that the law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial authority are lacking in resources.
“This lack of resources can be directly attributed to the very low conviction rates due to the fact that a large portion of cases are not being enrolled due to lack of evidence resulting from poor investigation.
“We desperately need more qualified detectives to supplement the already low numbers of qualified investigators in the SAPS and the Hawks,” Thomas said.
Cape Times