Mass Shootings: Police Minister Bheki Cele Visits Umlazi, Residents Say Gunshots Are Normal

• Police Minister Bheki Cele went to Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal to visit the areas where 11 people were recently murdered
• Cele's visit was centred on assessing the crime scenes and received a police report from the Provincial SAPS team
• There are growing concerns from residents in Umlazi who are worried that the recent murders are due to a gang war

DURBAN - Minister of Police took a trip to Umlazi on Thursday to visit the neighbourhoods that were plagued by mass shootings in the past few days. Eleven people were killed in the incidents that took place in U-section and W-section.

Cele's trip to Umlazi was focused on visiting the crime scenes and receiving a detailed report from the Provincial South African Police team in regard to the incidents that took place on Saturday night and Tuesday evening, according to The Witness.

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Police in the area stated that they do not believe that the two incidents are related or connected in any way and they are yet to make arrests.

Residents worried about a possible gang war

Chairperson of the Umlazi Community Policing Forum, Professor Nzimande, stated that residents were concerned that the mass shootings could be a result of an ongoing war between gangs.

Nzimande stated there is also concern that the violence currently being seen in Umlazi could be an extension of the unrest that broke out in July or could be drug-related. He added that crime was an ongoing issue in Umlazi.

Umlazi residents say shootings are common

According to EWN, some residents of Umlazi have stated that gunfire was a common occurrence in their neighbourhood.

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One woman stated that they are so used to hearing guns go off that when people were being shot at she did not think that a murder could be occurring.

"There's always gunshots going off here. Even when they went off here this time around, I was in bed resting because I was not feeling well and I said to myself 'these guns are always going off here'," she said.

Mass shooting in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal leaves 5 people dead, 3 injured

Briefly News previously reported that five people were killed in a mass shooting that took place in Umlazi, Durban on Tuesday night. Three other people were injured in the incident.

Spokesperson for the Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Kwanele Ncalane confirmed the deaths and stated that the shooting took place in W-section, according to TimesLIVE.

The victims are said to have been sitting inside a house when three gunmen who are yet to be identified entered the home. The victims are said to have been shot in the head and upper body. The three individuals who were injured were immediately taken to hospital following the shooting.

This latest shooting comes after six people were killed in another mass shooting in Umlazi on Saturday in U-section. According to police spokesperson Jay Naicker, four of the victims were declared dead on the scene while two others succumbed to their injuries in hospital, reports SowetanLIVE.

Source: Briefly News