Bloodbath in the Eastern Cape: Another Mass Shooting Just Days After 18 Killed in Lusikisiki

Just nine days after a mass shooting that claimed 18 lives in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, 10 community stock theft patrollers were shot, 6 fatally, on Sunday night in Qumba, Godini Village. .What You Need to KnowCoinciding with the memorial for the victims of the Lusikisiki shooting, police claim the motive for the attack on the community patrollers is currently unknown.According to National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, at approximately 10:45 p.m. at least 8 men armed with handguns and rifles attacked the patrollers at their meeting place of Lungongoza Junior Secondary School, killing 6 instantly and critically wounding 4 others who were later taken to hospital.Taking place mere days after the South African Police Service (SAPS) conducted a 'roadshow' at the village to discuss a community policing plan, it is believed the attack is stock-theft related, although tensions between villages in the area do exist, noted Commissioner Masemola.Adding to the violent crime wave sweeping the region, with the Lusikisiki massacre victims preparing to conduct a traditional mourning ritual for two relatives who were murdered in 2023 before they were gunned down–leaving an infant as the sole survivor.Recently released crime statistics paint a harrowing picture of the situation in the region, with 2,328 violent crime related deaths occurring in the six months between January and July of this year, amounting to 12 murders per day.The Democratic Alliance (DA), a member of the Government of National Unity (GNU), has labelled the province a "war zone" and has called for the deployment of additional resources to the province's police."We cannot allow these statistics to become mere numbers. Each figure represents a person whose life has been deeply affected by crime. We must work together to reverse this tide of violence and restore safety and dignity to the people of the Eastern Cape," said the DA in a statement.While violent crime continues to plague citizens, so too does sexual crime, with 3,768 sexual offences occurring across the first half of the year-amounting to 20 offences per day."This is an ongoing crisis. The brutal murder of Nombeko Thobigunya by her boyfriend, Bantubenkosi Siqotyana, in Thembeni village in the Zandukwana administrative area outside Libode, is a stark reminder of the violence that plagues our communities. Siqotyana was recently sentenced to life in prison after he took Nombeko’s life, desecrating her body by chopping it up and stuffing the parts into pit latrines," the statement said.So, What Now?With 84 murders per day occurring across the entire nation, the volume of violent crime related deaths taking place in the Eastern Cape is staggering.The proliferation of illegal firearms in the country contributes to this crime crisis, with numerous cases of police selling their weapons to criminals, coupled with the existence of the 'AK-47 Corridor' between KwaZulu-Natal and Maputo, Mozambique."There is a war taking place in our streets, and our law-abiding citizens are the casualties....We cannot allow these statistics to become mere numbers. Each figure represents a person whose life has been deeply affected by crime. We must work together to reverse this tide of violence and restore safety and dignity to the people of the Eastern Cape," the DA said.