Five Men Dead in Yet Another Eastern Cape Mass Shooting

The third mass shooting in less than a week and the sixth in less than a month has pushed South Africa's Eastern Cape into further paranoia.Five men were killed in a shooting at a shack in the Chris Hani informal settlement in New Brighton, Gqeberha, on Tuesday night. The only suspect in the case was later killed in a shootout with police..Nelson Mandela Bay District Commissioner General, Vuyisie Ncata, stated, "As from last night, we were pressing and investigating the suspect. Today, the suspect was found inside the house where he was hiding. He tried to fight with the police. The police retaliated and defended themselves, and he was fatally wounded with his firearm next to him."Prior to the mass shooting in Chris Hani settlement was the shooting of three men in the Eastern Cape's Willowvale on Friday afternoon. Four hours after the Willowvale shooting was the killing of five members of the Seti family in Ncenjana Village in the Eastern Cape's Bhityi area.Prior to the Willowvale and Bhityi killings was the murder of a father, son, and nephew in Arcadia, Gqerbeha, last Tuesday. According to police, "Four unknown men kicked down the front door of a house in Ekary Street, Arcadia, at about 11:40 p.m. They shot a 57-year-old man in the head several times and killed two other men, aged 21 and 23, by stabbing them in the neck."No suspects have been identified in the Arcadia case.The spate of mass killings began with the murder of 18 members of the Sinqina-Mhatu Families in the Eastern Cape's Lusikisiki in early October, where they were gathered for a mourning ritual for family members murdered the previous year.According to the Bhyiti area's chief, long-winded retributive killings are not uncommon in the province, with the chief claiming that every year for the past five years, a Seti family member has been gunned down.The second killing of the month came with the shooting of 10 community stock theft patrollers, 6 fatally, in the Eastern Cape's Godini Village.So, What Now?As the death toll continues to rise in the province, community paranoia has heightened, particularly as few suspects in the murders have been apprehended. What exactly is fueling the killings is unclear, although Bhityi's chief has claimed revenge and stock theft are the main motivators.