Four men shot dead at KwaMashu hostel, police hunting 20 suspects

A tactical police team is on the hunt for about 20 heavily armed hitmen who opened fire on a group of men in a KwaMashu hostel in Durban, killing four people.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the gunmen entered the hostel and shot several people, some of whom were in a room while others were outside.

“We received information about the shooting at the men's hostel and on arrival found three bodies. Six other victims with gunshot wounds were transported to a clinic. One man succumbed to his injuries, and another is in a critical condition.”

Netshiunda said initial investigations revealed that the armed assailants were hitmen, but they were investigating all leads. He said tactical police members were on the hunt for the men to ensure no further loss of life.

Councillor Mzethu Gwala said the victims were sitting in the front of the house when they were attacked.

“There is a tuck shop nearby, but it was closed. The owner works [elsewhere] during the day and opens when he knocks off. There was another shooting in the area on Saturday where two people also died,” said Gwala.

He said the KwaMashu police station battled to police the area.

“We always encounter such incidents, but today it's a pity because about five people were gunned down, and three have been confirmed dead so far. Some were rushed to the [KwaMashu] polyclinic. On Sunday morning we received information that two men had been shot on Saturday night, so we are used to such incidents in this vicinity.

“We've been having meetings with the community to try to come up with solutions, but the problem is a lack of trust between the community and the police. The community doesn't give information to the police because of these trust issues. The police also don't have the capacity to cover this place because we have a lot of people living in such a small vicinity, which is congested with shacks.

“They have to cover the whole of KwaMashu and other areas. Whenever the police are following these cases they don't get any evidence because people are scared to talk. In most cases when people die in this area it's due to guns. There are very few instances of natural causes,” Gwala said.

Netshiunda confirmed the shooting on Saturday, adding that the informal shacks built so close together made it difficult for police vehicles to patrol the area.

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