- Locals are shocked after a mass shooting took place in Kwanubule, Nelson Mandela Bay, on Tuesday night, leaving six people dead.
- Three armed men entered the house and opened fire on people standing in the front yard and inside the house.
- This area is notorious for mass shootings since last year.
Residents of Kwanubule in Nelson Mandela Bay say gunmen entered a popular local hangout in the dead of night, while dropping loads, and opened fire indiscriminately, killing six people.
Frightened local residents said they were “shocked but not surprised” by the brutal attack on a house on Maudley Street just before 20:00 on Tuesday night.
Four other people were wounded in the shooting and taken to hospital.
Eastern Cape Police said three armed men entered the property and opened fire on people standing in the front yard and inside the house.
The names of the dead have not yet been released, but the police suspect a drug-related motive as the crime scene was a known drug den that had been raided several times.
The neighbors were at first too afraid to comment, saying only that they knew nothing and saw nothing.
Read | Six dead and four wounded in a mass shooting in Nelson Mandela Bay
But a female neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she clearly heard gunshots on Tuesday night.
She said:
I was sitting on the sofa at the entrance to the hall and heard gunshots. There were many, and it was very loud, but I didn’t look outside.
The neighbor said the shooting started in the middle of the load season.
Another resident noted blood splattered outside the building where the victims died.
A local resident added, “The shooting was not at all unexpected, especially since KwaNobuhle has been a crime hotspot for some time.”
The most recent annual crime statistics indicated a 32.8% increase in homicides in Kwanupule over the past 10 years.
According to community leader Thamsanka Nkivu, the drug den was a common place for men, women, and children alike.
“Residents refuse to speak to the media after the shooting, but they know how many problems we had with this drug den. They were selling drugs and tick,” he said.
The police tape can still be found on Modlele Street, KwaNobuhle, where six people were killed in a mass shooting on Tuesday night.
This incident is also one of several that have occurred in Kwanupule since last year. In October 2022, eight people were killed in two separate shootings in the same community.
The bodies of four men were found inside a Mazda 323 on Mabe Street with multiple gunshot wounds, while another body was found behind the vehicle.
Only a few hours later, three more bodies were discovered on Zola Nqini Street.
Two inside a silver Volkswagen Polo and one outside.
Most recently, three teens were shot on Pantom Street, also in Quanupole, last Friday.
According to police information, Benathi Mohabi, 16, and his brother Sibaluito, 17, died, and a 16-year-old boy was injured.
Police spokesman Col Priscilla Naidoo said the police have a team working in the hotspots.