While the families of eight people killed in a shooting spree in Nelson Mandela Bay fear the murders will not be prioritised by police, four people have already been taken in for questioning after a suspected hideout in Summerstrand was infiltrated on Friday.
With the multiple murder probe now escalated to the Provincial Organised Crime Unit, police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed they had identified four people of interest.
On Thursday, as eight bullet-riddled bodies lay in two streets in the township of KwaNobuhle in Kariega, residents started filming the bloody scene.
A father-to-be and a former engineering student were among the dead.
In the first incident, at about 11.45am, police attended to a shooting in Mabi Street where the bodies of four men were found in a Mazda 323.
All had multiple gunshot wounds to their upper bodies.
Another victim who had already succumbed to his wounds was lying a few metres away from the car.
A sixth man, also with multiple gunshot wounds, was lying behind the vehicle and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The victims were estimated to be between 18 and 25 years old.
In the second incident, at about 12.10pm, the bodies of three men were found in Zola Nqini Street.
Two were found inside a silver VW Polo while the third was lying outside the vehicle.
All had multiple gunshot wounds. The victims were between the ages of 32 and 40.
The vehicle had been reported stolen in Humansdorp in May.
While police have not yet released the names of the deceased, they believe the two incidents are linked.
On Friday, fearful residents were reluctant to talk.
But two grieving families opened up to a Weekend Post team.
They demanded that those responsible be arrested and prosecuted as soon as possible, as it was the only way to clamp down on crime in KwaNobuhle.
They said shootings now occurred every few weeks.
Zukisa Sokhiya, 25, was among those killed, leaving behind his five-month-pregnant girlfriend and his broken-hearted mother.
Sokhiya’s body was discovered alongside three others in the Mazda in Mabi Street.
His mother, Linda, 49, said she had never expected her son to die in such a manner, as she was unaware of him being involved with any trouble in the community.
“I always believed my son would be the one to bury me. He was my first child and I never imagined life without him.”
She said Sokhiya had dropped out of school in matric because of learning difficulties and had become a jikeleza driver.
He had dreamt of one day owning his own car.
“I’m beyond broken. When news broke that there had been shootings, and my cousin phoned to check if I had heard he was one of the people killed. I ran to the crime scene, but the police would not allow me to see his body,” she said.
She said Sokhiya had left home in the morning to collect the car for his duties. He showed no signs he might be in trouble.
“Almost every morning he would make us breakfast and kiss me goodbye. I never thought on Thursday he would not return home,” she said.
While nothing could be done to bring him back, the family would be at peace if the police arrested the suspects, she said.
“It’s becoming a trend that there are people killed and nothing happens. But we beg for our son’s killers to be arrested.”
Another family, whose relative was killed later that morning in Zola Nqini Street in front of a church, feared the pain would never go away.
The brother of Misumzi Willie, 26, who declined to be named, said he had rushed to the scene.
He was able to identify his brother just by looking at the marks on his arm.
“I’m still trying to process the pain of seeing my brother’s body,” he said.
He said they were all in fear, not knowing who was next.
“We don’t feel safe and we’re losing trust in law enforcement. Not a month passes without hearing of shootings here.”
He said on Friday morning police had raided their home, seemingly looking for an illegal firearm, but apparently found nothing.
Willie’s tearful mother Joyce, 54, said her son had grown up like any other child with a promising future.
She said he had gone to private schools and furthered his studies in engineering.
But when his father died in 2020 he did not take it well and dropped out.
“Justice in SA is weak, these killings are not stopping because there are no arrests. However, we’re appealing to the police to act,” she said.
KwaNobuhle community leader and Action SA sub-regional co-ordinator, Thandazwa Cholani, said the massacre was a painful reminder of the brutal death of her brother last year.
DA portfolio member for community safety, Marshall von Buchenroder, condemned the killings.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the families. The carnage must stop.
“No stone must be left unturned in hunting down the criminals who committed this shocking act. We’re calling on the public to assist in identifying these perpetrators,” he said.
ANC Bay regional chair Babalwa Lobishe said it was shocking how lives seemingly no longer mattered.
“We also say to communities that whenever there’s a disagreement, there are ways to solve the issue without resorting to violence,” she said.
Provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nomthetheleli Mene ordered a 72-hour activation plan on Thursday evening to track, trace and arrest the suspects.
Naidu said that at about 8am on Friday, the investigation team infiltrated a possible hideout in Summerstrand.
“We have four persons of interest we are busy interviewing,” she said.