EC Community Safety Department concedes uptick in gun violence

JOHANNESBURG - The Community Safety Department in the Eastern Cape has admitted that gun violence is on the rise in several parts of the province.

On Monday afternoon, the department’s MEC Xolile Nqatha visited the grieving Sinqina, Mhatu and Ndleleni families after 18 of their loved ones were gunned down in Lusikisiki on Saturday morning.

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Nqatha has expressed satisfaction with the additional deployment of police assigned to probe the massacre.

He has, however, added that police have a tough task of ridding the community of illegal firearms.

“We will focus on this one, community members have raised the firing of firearms during the night - which demonstrates that indeed there is some legal firearms that are branded around here.”