Some families of victims who lost their lives through the barrel of a gun, have yet to get justice for their relatives.
Mthatha is among the hotspot areas where people have had their lives cut short, while going about their daily lives.
April 21 will mark a year since Namhla Singwa Mtwa, 35, was gunned down in her driveway in Mthatha.
Her family feels justice is draining away with every day that passes.
Even after Eastern Cape police offered a R200,000 reward for information on the killing of the OR Tambo district municipality employee, no arrest has been made.
Her older brother, Siyabonga Mtwa, told the Dispatch last week they were still coming to terms with the tragic passing of his sister.
“Singwa’s case is not prioritised because we are a no-name family,” Mtwa said.
Mtwa said they had to call the police to get feedback on how the investigation, which is now being handled by the national police, was going.
Mtwa said there had been threats to his life when he investigated the case.
In December, Mthatha businessman Mkululi Lumumba Skoni Kubukeli was the victim of fatal gun violence.
Kubukeli’s son, Lazola Kubukeli, said they wanted to know why his father had been killed, adding that they lived in fear.
He said the family needed closure, and that would only come with the arrest of the culprits.
“We want the culprits to be arrested. Every day you open the Daily Dispatch and read that someone has been shot and killed in Mthatha. It’s not a safe town to be in.”
“They [authorities] must not be active only when a celebrity has been killed.
“There are ordinary people who get killed every day. The police must [pull up] their socks.
“People may find themselves paying for private investigators when there are police who are hired to do their work,” Kubukeli said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said though the police were making huge strides in confiscating and arresting suspects in possession of illegal firearms, there was still a serious concern that “so many illegal firearms are still onthe streets, and used to commit crimes”.
Naidu said the police were creating awareness through social crime prevention programmes on a weekly basis in all policing precincts, with the aim of proactive policing — educating the communities on gun violence.
She said investigations in the Thantseka and Qunu murders were ongoing.
Provincial community policing executive member Ludumo Salman attributed the gun violence to the “free-flow of undocumented foreigners into the country”, stock theft and the hiring of gunmen to kill people.
“These things will continue until personnel is beefed up and better resourced. The lack of visibility makes it easier for criminals to plan their evil acts.”
DispatchLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.