Cele bemoans number of violent cases in uMgungundlovu
Relatives and
community members from Martizburg’s Imbali township have come out in their
numbers to pay their last respects to the Memela family, gunned down in a mass
shooting earlier this month.
A teenage boy and seven women were among the 10 people killed in their Unit 14 home.
They were laid to rest on Saturday.
A number of leaders from local and national government attended the funeral next to the Memela homestead:
Police Minister Bheki Cele has bemoaned the number of violent cases recorded in uMgungundlovu, acknowledging that the crime rate is alarming.
Cele addressed the large gathering of mourners, many of them community members who say they are still shocked and traumatised by what happened.
Cele says investigations have revealed that one of the women was also raped before the family was shot execution-style.
Describing the district as a crime factory, the minister stressed that more police stations need to be established to help reduce crime.
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A 26-year-old man who faces 10 counts of murder is due back in court on Friday.
Another suspect was killed by officers.
A third person whose wounded remains in hospital under police guard.
