Eastern Cape Community Safety MEC, Xolile Nqatha says one of the major challenges they, as the government need to find an urgent solution to, is cutting the supply and ridding the streets of unregistered illegal firearms that are in high circulation in the province and the country at large. MEC Nqatha believes that the illicit guns and ammunition are one of the driving forces of the systematic and seemingly targeted mass killings that continue to plague the province.
MEC Nqatha’s remarks comes after yet another mass murder in the province, where seven people were gunned down by unknown assailants while gathered to celebrate a friend’s birthday in Gqeberha on Sunday. The 8th victim later succumbed to gunshot wounds in hospital taking the death toll to eight in the incident.
MEC Nqatha has pledged that his department will double its efforts, working with relevant authorities to rid our streets of illicit firearms and taking them away from the hands of criminals.
There is no denying that most of these crimes are committed using illegal firearms. And it is our responsibility as the government, working with our communities to do all we can to protect our people. And it is a responsibility we won’t shy away from. Our immediate challenge for now, is to apprehend the gunmen and the mastermind in these cases, without negating the challenge to cut the supply and rid our communities of illicit guns that are now becoming a threat to our very existence, – said MEC Nqatha.
This case comes barely a month after four family members were gunned down in their rondavel at Sulenkama in Qumbu earlier in the month. In November, seven people were also ambushed, shot and killed while preparing for a funeral service of a relative in Bhityi just outside Mthatha in November. Four suspects in the Bhityi mass murder case have been arrested and are currently on trail.
These mass killings are some of the major contributors to the constantly higher murder rate in recent quarterly crime statistics releases in the province.
