Family Wiped Out in Deadly Shooting in the Eastern Cape, SA Horrified: 'Heartless'
- The Eastern Cape village of Tshisane is reeling after five people were brutally killed in a hail of bullets on Wednesday
- Four people have been linked to the family murders and are expected to appear in the Tsolo Magistrate's Court on Friday
- The incident stunned online users, who decried the violent killings that bear eery similarities to a recent incident in Limpopo
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see Briefly News on your News Feed!
MTHATHA - A gruesome find greeted the village of Tshisane in Tsolo near Mthatha in the Eastern Cape when community members stumbled upon the bullet-riddled bodies of five family members on Wednesday morning.
Another member of the family was reportedly hacked to death earlier in the week. SABC News reported that the five relatives were asleep when four suspects stormed their home and began firing shots.
Source: Getty Images
All five people, aged 18 to 82, suffered extensive gunshot wounds. Police have begun their work to uncover the motive for the murders after four people were arrested a few hours after the deadly incident.
Eastern Cape police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nomthetheleli Mene said five cases of murder have been opened and are currently under investigation. Mene hailed the work of the detectives for making the swift arrests.
Enjoy reading our stories? Download the BRIEFLY NEWS app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major South African news!
Four arrested for attack
Police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said villagers notified the police of the incident, leading to the discovery of five bodies at their home ahead of tying four men to the gruesome murders and tracking them down.
The suspects are aged 22 to 32 and thought to be from the same area. They will appear in the Tsolo Magistrate's Court on Friday to face multiple charges of murder, News24 reported. A family spokesperson, Zakade George, has since appealed to the local government for assistance.
"We're faced with having to bury the six people and don't know where to start. We don't know who will dig six graves in the village. We want help from the government as we can't afford the burials," said George.
The shock expressed by South Africans reverberated across social media as people reacted to the violent incident.
Bouts of murders unsettling
Online users lamented the prevalence of mass murders in village communities following an incident in which a Limpopo man allegedly shot and killed seven members of his family on Christmas Day.
Briefly News takes a look at some of the reactions below.
@Sello Nkgapele wrote:
"People killing each other during the festive season."
@Boshielo Lefa Xvi said:
"On the last days of 2021. People are so heartless."
@Elethu Lethu Shukuma added:
"In close to malamulele 6 members of the family including children were gunned down by their family member, hayi kubi ngoku bethuna."
@Ntombi Ntosh observed:
"Kanti kwenzeka ntoni kulo mhlaba siphila kuwo,people are being killed like flies."
@Precious Presh Presh noted:
"First it was my home town limpopo now eastern cape. What on earth is happening in this world."
Fight 'over family home' sparks murders of 7
Elsewhere, Briefly News recently reported more details are emerging following the brutal slayings of seven members of the same family that rocked the community of Jimmy Jones Village outside Malamulele in Polokwane, Limpopo, on Christmas Day.
The case against Azwidowi Enoch Ndou, accused of carrying out the shocking murders, has been postponed to January next year after the 52-year-old man made his first appearance at the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Ndou was charged with seven counts of murder, according to the regional National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, who said the case was postponed for further investigations and for the accused to establish legal representation.
Source: Briefly News
