Drug link to massacre
Police say seven executed men were either using or selling
THE seven men who were found murdered with gunshot wounds to their heads at a homestead at emsahweni on the Kwazulu-natal South Coast were using the house to either consume drugs or sell them.
This was according to provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-general Khombinkosi Jula, who visited the scene of the massacre yesterday.
Speaking to television news channel ENCA, Jula said that when police investigators went to work, they found 29 straws of whoonga (low-grade heroin) and 25 ecstasy tablets.
“It was a sizeable amount of drugs,” Jula said, adding that investigators were still probing whether the men were users of the drugs or sellers.
He said the seven men, aged between 21 and 36, were unrelated and their presence at the homestead meant they had broken the Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
In addition, Jula revealed that two of the seven men were facing criminal charges, one for possession of a firearm and another for business robbery, and were at various stages in the court system.
“We are still trying to establish if this house was a drug den or a smoking house. It’s still early in our investigation but we want to assure the community that those responsible for this crime will face the consequences,” Jula said.
The murders took place at about 6pm on Wednesday, and local residents heard gunshots coming from one of the homesteads.
They found the bodies of the men in one of the rooms in the homestead. All seven had been shot in the head in what appeared to be execution-style killings. “The motive is still unknown at this early stage of the investigation. We appeal to anyone who might have information that can help the detectives in the investigation to contact crime stop at 086 001011,” said provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker.
Ward councillor Thembelihle Makhanya spoke to The Daily News after returning from the crime scene.
“The general feeling in the community is that of shock. There’s always heartbreak when someone dies or is killed. We hear of people getting shot all the time, but when it’s this many people all killed in such a brutal pattern it’s scary,” he said.
Makhanya said residents had a lot of questions about the shooting.
“We all don’t know why these people were killed. Going forward people are wondering if they will be safe in their homes,” said Makhanya.
ethekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has called for calm in the area as police continue investigating the murders.
He also urged the police to speed up the investigation and to ensure that the perpetrators faced the full might of the law.
“It’s unfortunate that during this difficult period when the country is faced with the Covid-19 pandemic there are people who are committing heinous crimes.
“We are confident that our law enforcement agencies will get to the bottom of this crime and bring the perpetrators to book,” said Kaunda.
He urged anyone who might have witnessed the crime to contact the police. – Additional reporting by IOL