Durban - uMhlathuze mayor Xolani Ngwezi said after several months without shooting incidents in the CBD, gunmen opened fire, fatally wounding five people in a shopping centre parking lot on Tuesday.
After the incident, KwaZulu-Natal police launched a manhunt for the suspects.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the information at police’s disposal indicates that four of the suspects alighted from a vehicle and opened fire on the victims.
“Four victims were certified dead at the scene while the fifth succumbed to gunshot injuries at a local clinic. The suspects reportedly fled from the scene in a blue VW Polo. The motive of the shooting has not been established, although a drug-related turf war could not be ruled out,” he said.
Ngwezi, speaking at the scene of the shooting on Tuesday, said there were no further details as to the motive for the shooting.
“The police are busy with that investigation, and at the right time, once the suspects have been apprehended, the public will be informed through processes what happened and what is to happen next.”
The mayor said the mass shooting comes as the city, formerly known as Richards Bay, is busy with a safer city crime prevention strategy.
He said the city wants to install technology facilities to combat crime.
“Unfortunately this has happened right in the CBD. The police are putting in a lot of effort in this area of uMhlathuze to arrest these incidents or situations. For the past six to eight months we have not had incidents of this nature and I believe that it is because of the efforts of the police,” said the mayor.
By way of example, he noted an operation held in the area on Monday to combat crime, which was witnessed by the public.
Ngwezi offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.
“I have been informed that the deceased might be South Africans, but at this point information cannot be disclosed to the public as the police are still waiting for the families to identify the bodies, and once all these processes have been done then information will be revealed to the public,”he said.
The mayor urged all those who may have information about the incident to come forward and contact the police.
He also appealed to the public to refrain for speculating about the motive for the shooting and to rather allow the police to investigate.
Ngwezi added that the leadership in the area would soon visit the families of the dead.
The shopping centre has been approached for comment, but had not responded by the time of publication.