Police have deployed a special task team to investigate the massacre on Tuesday of eight members of a family at their home in KwaMaye near Bergville in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, police said on Thursday.
Eight members of a family, including five children, were shot and set alight by gunmen at their home on Tuesday. Only one of the family, a child, survived the attack.
Superintendent Henry Budhram said: ”Investigations are progressing very well and we are following up leads but no arrests have yet been made.”
He said police were not ruling out the possibility that the attack might be linked to ongoing stock theft in the area.
The victims were 69-year-old Galina Xaba, Eunice Xaba (55) Delisile Xaba (27) Hlengiwe Xaba (13) Sanelisiwe Xaba, eight, Mxolisi Xaba, three, and Neliswa Xaba, two. Six-year-old Sanele Xaba was shot in his left leg and was admitted to a local hospital.
KwaZulu-Natal’s two main political parties expressed shock on Wednesday at the murders.
”The IFP is deeply distressed at the news of this latest atrocity, coming two days after the attack on Prince Gideon Zulu’s family and the massacre in Cape Town,” the Inkatha Freedom Party said.
”These unrelated incidents reveal that something has gone very wrong within the social fabric of our nation, and reinforces the perception that criminals can act with impunity in South Africa.”
Of particular concern, the IFP said, was that most of the victims of this week’s atrocities were young people and children.
”The decent majority of South Africans have been appalled and sickened by what has happened.”
And the African National Congress urged the public to keep their eyes open and help police trace the perpetrators of such crimes.
”We are concerned …about the recent attacks all over the country, and call on our people to assist the police,” said party representative Smuts Ngonyama.
”There most be zero tolerance to violent crime and criminals must be identified as quickly as possible so the law can take its course and these barbarians can receive the appropriate sentences.”
Both parties extended their condolences to the next-of kin of the KwaMaye victims. – Sapa