KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Mr Bheki Cele strongly condemns the brutal killing of six people in the Nqhongeni area at Msimanga on Saturday 11 July 2009 by unknown gunmen.
Preliminary reports have revealed that in the early hours of Saturday (04:00) unknown gunmen forced entry into the hut were the deceased were sleeping, and ordered the deceased out of the hut and instructed them to lie on the ground next to each other before being shot execution style. Five of the deceased were members of the Mbatha family and the sixth was from the Sokhela family.
Police discovered several expended AK 47, R1 and R5 cartridges on the scene confirming that the gunmen were armed with rifles.
So far the motive for this brutal massacre is not clear but police have not ruled out the element of faction fighting which has crippled the Msimanga area in the past. As we speak police are following a promising lead which might yield results soon. The suspects are believed to have escaped to another province.
The MEC has expressed shock at the brutality shown by the gunmen and has urged police to vigorously pursue this matter and would like any members of the public to come forward with any information that can assist the police in their investigation.
“Such acts of cruelty have no place in our society, I would like to assure the public that the police will not rest until the suspects are brought to book and account for their barbaric deed. The public of KwaZulu-Natal can rest assured that these suspects will not escape the long arm of the law. I urge anyone who can assist the police with any information to come forward and help bring these criminals to book. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Mbatha and Sokhela families," said Cele.
Enquiries:
Nonkululeko Mbatha
Cell: 083 645 6252
Source: Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
