In just two weeks 12 people were killed in two mass shootings around KwaZakhele township in Qheberha, Eastern Cape. As if that was not enough, six other people were killed four months later in the same township at a house suspected to be a drug den. The killings which made headlines, shocked the country but community members said they were not shocked as people were being killed daily in Qheberha.

DEATH AT A PARTY 

In the first incident on 29 January this year, eight people were brutally murdered on a Sunday evening while celebrating a 50th birthday party. SAPS spokesperson Priscilla Naidu said at the time that a man and his 10 friends were gathered for a birthday party at his house when out of the blue, two unknown gunmen pounced on them and started shooting. Four men and three women were shot dead while four other people survived the mass shooting with gunshot wounds. One of the victims succumbed to injuries in hospital. Suspects were arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder and they are still behind bars awaiting trial.

YOUNG PEOPLE SHOT AND KILLED  

On February 12, just over a week after the first mass murder, another shooting incident at a party left four people dead and seven injured in the same township. This was only 1.5km away from the house where the first shooting took place. In the shooting, three assailants stormed into the house just after midnight where a group of young people between the ages of 20 and 24 were having a party and opened fire. According to the police, of the 11 people in the house, three women and one man were killed, while two men and a woman were left with gunshot wounds. The police said their members were patrolling the area at 12:45 am when they were stopped by a woman who was bleeding, she reported a shooting at a house on Nomjila Street. Naidu said on arrival, the police found four people who were fatally wounded and several others sustained injuries. The deceased were identified as students at a local TVET college. At the time, Naidu said these brutal murders were becoming a norm in the area and that whoever the perpetrators were, they were getting comfortable. "We will not allow the perpetrator to get away with murder, the police are working around the clock to bring the suspects to book," Naidu said.

DRUG-RELATED MASS SHOOTING

Five months after the two mass shootings earlier in the year when the communities thought the killings were over, three unknown men barged a house on Mdledle Street in Kwanobuhle just after 7 pm and opened fire instantly killing six people and wounding four others on July 11. The seventh person died at the hospital. The six deceased were identified as Siyabonga Williams (24), Sinovuyo Nene (24), Mzuvukile Grootboom (33), Siyamthanda Vena (27), Siyanda Luther Mlilwana (29) and Sivenathi Mxaku (17). Soon after the murders, a task team was appointed to investigate the case and suspects, aged between 21 and 34 years old were arrested in Kwanobuhle and Arcadia in Bethelsdorp respectively. The suspects were remanded in custody after being denied bail.

GANG VIOLENCE NOT RULED OUT

In another incident where at least five people lost their lives, the police suspected the killing to be related to gangs. It's alleged that on 17 September, a group of men stormed a house in Gelvandale, Gqeberha, and shot tenants. The first victim was found in the passage of the outside building, a couple in the bedroom, while two other bodies were found in the bathroom. They are Daniel Cornellissen, Amber van den Berg, Shariff Guttie, Ismaaêel van Breda and Jade Jantjies. 

LATEST INCIDENT 

In another incident last month, four people from Kwadwesi in Gqeberha were shot dead on the evening of Sunday 12 November. The police said it was just after 9 pm when a man in his 40s was dropped off by his friend at his house. As he entered his house, two suspects came out of nowhere, pushed open the front door, and shot the man dead. On the same street, the bodies of three men and one woman were discovered in a shack at the back of a house with gunshot wounds. The deceased were aged between 19 and 24.

ARRESTS

The police confirmed that suspects were arrested and charged in the first four shootings. Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene urged communities to work with the police in tracing those responsible for the shootings. "Such acts will not be tolerated and [we are] appealing to the community to stand together with police as we relentlessly pursue the suspects. The perpetrators of this appalling crime are still at large, and our team of investigators are already on the ground hunting for the suspects. The assistance of the community is crucial in helping us piece together the events that led to this tragedy," Mene said regarding the November shooting.