The IFP in the KZN Legislature says it is high time that the relevant authorities step up efforts to check the spread of deadly weapons in the province.
This comes after ten people were allegedly shot dead in Pietermaritzburg, in Imbali Unit 14, in the early hours of Friday. On Thursday, a person believed to be a taxi boss in the Ndwedwe area, was shot and killed in the Ottawa area near Verulam, just outside Durban; and four other people were shot dead in KwaMashu, north of Durban.
It is shocking that the killing of a taxi boss in Ottawa comes just weeks after tax associations signed a peace agreement, which was facilitated by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele.
During the Community Safety and Liaison debate this week in the KZN Legislature, I raised the IFP’s serious concerns about the high rate of crime in KZN. I stated that “Due to the high unemployment rate, the notion of paid assassins cannot be ruled out, as desperate people will resort to desperate measures to earn money to feed their families”, and “Further, we are concerned about the mass killings that are happening in areas such as KwaMashu, uMlazi, Nkandla and Eshowe, to mention a few. This issue requires urgent attention from the relevant authorities. We need to have a clear understanding of the trend of the killings, the locations, the hot spots and look at causes.”
The increasing availability of weapons has helped drive rising insecurity and crime in KZN, where guns are commonly used to commit a range of crimes.
The IFP believes that the police must work towards eradicating crime to ensure that our Province is freed from ruthless criminals. The ongoing murders in KZN are indicative of the movement of illegal guns and a vast majority of firearms. It is the duty of the authorities to launch a thorough investigation on arms syndicates: whether guns used by criminals to kill are either smuggled into the province, or if they collude with gun sellers to buy illegal guns.
The IFP further calls on the police to increase police patrols and intelligence surveillance along our porous borders, as well as in community residential areas across the province.
The IFP calls for urgent action from the KZN MEC for Community Safety and Liaison, as well as the KZN Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. They must act swiftly and stop this bloodbath in KZN. Further, we call on all citizens to stand up and play their active role in fighting crime by reporting criminal activities to the relevant authorities.
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Contact
Mr Blessed Gwala IFP MPL
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson for Community Safety and Liaison
078 290 5842
