Five people were killed in a brutal mass shooting in New Brighton, Gqeberha, on Tuesday night, marking the third such incident in the province in less than three weeks.
Story Summary:
- Five men were killed in a shack in the Chris Hani Informal Settlement in New Brighton, Eastern Cape. Police are investigating, and no suspects have been apprehended yet.
- This incident follows two other mass shootings in the region, including the Lusikisiki massacre, where 18 people were killed, and a family execution in Ncenjana.
New Brighton mass shooting: Here’s everything we know
The attack occurred in the Chris Hani Informal Settlement around 21:30, with victims shot dead inside a shack.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli confirmed that police were alerted to the gunfire and discovered the bodies of five men with multiple gunshot wounds.
The police have not yet confirmed any motives, but investigations are underway.
Nkohli stressed that the situation is tense in the region, with no arrests yet made, and the suspects remain at large.
The absence of immediate arrests adds to the anxiety in the area, and law enforcement is calling on community members to provide any information that could lead to the suspects’ capture.
Previous Eastern Cape mass shootings
The New Brighton attack follows two other mass shootings in the Eastern Cape over the past few weeks, with authorities struggling to contain the rising violence.
Five members of a single family were executed in Ncenjana, 374 km away from New Brighton, in the Mthentu Administrative area.
Among the victims were two children who miraculously survived.
Police have arrested two suspects aged 22 and 39, and one firearm was seized during the operation.
However, the full scope of the attack and its motivations remain under investigation.
In one of the most heinous crimes this year, 18 people were killed in the Lusikisiki mass shooting at two homesteads in Ngobozana village on 27 September 2024.
During an ongoing investigation, police arrested two more suspects and recovered military-grade assault rifles believed to have been used in the killings.
According to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, the mastermind of the attack reportedly orchestrated it from inside a prison.