By Songeziwe Mapukata
Why the lawlessness? Nkosi Mfundo Mtirara was grappling on Thursday with the reasons behind 14 killings in just 72 hours in his community in the rural OR Tambo District.
Three people were shot and killed at Bityi and another seven at Qunu. They followed four other killings on Tuesday at villages in the area: three at Mqhekezweni and one at Mvezo.
“[Some of] these rampant killings are brought about by drug trafficking in these areas, where drug dealers are at loggerheads about territories,” Mtirara told Scrolla.Africa. “The other killings are linked to stock theft, which has been the bane of this community. Mtirara believes the Bityi attack was stock-theft related.
“The shooting incident at Qunu happened at about 11.40 pm; shots were heard around that time. All the bodies are in one house, which suggests that they are of one family,” he said.
Eastern Cape police say that suspects are still at large and the investigation is still “very sensitive” at this stage.
“We have noticed a pattern in how these acts of lawlessness are committed. These are not isolated incidents at distant areas, but are premeditated killings as families are destroyed in a merciless fashion,” Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said.
Pictured above: The scene of the mass shooting in Bityi
Image source: Supplied
