Africa-Press – South-Africa. Five people were gunned down at a house in Koedoe Road, Gqeberha, late on Sunday evening.
An unknown number of masked gunmen entered the yard and started firing gunshots as they headed toward an outbuilding on the premises, according to police spokesperson, Colonel Priscilla Naidu.
Three men and two women were shot dead.
“The victims are aged between 24 and 42 years. Their names and those of their next of kin still need to be verified,” Naidu said.
She added the motive for the murders was unknown.
When News24 visited the scene on Monday morning, two men were trying to fix the broken front gate.
After initially refusing to comment, one of them said the family was not at home at the time.
“They are Muslims, so they are currently busy with funeral arrangements,” he said before adding that only family members of the deceased were allowed to enter the premises.
He said they knew nothing about the incident or the occupants of the house and that they were only working there.
Some of the neighbours, who did not want to be named out of fear for their safety, alleged that the house in question was a drug den.
According to them, the two men working at the gate were put there “to keep watch”.
One of the neighbours said no one was surprised about the incident because they were expecting something to happen for a while.
The neighbour said:
He said that although the house fronted as a spaza shop “everyone knows it is a drug den”.
“That house even burnt down approximately three years ago but they just built it right back up and continued their business.”
The neighbour claimed that once there was a church service outside the house, but that the occupants did not have any respect for the church and kept serving “customers”.
Another neighbour said he was asleep when the incident took place so he did not hear any gunshots.
“We woke up when everything was already over. I can only say those who do not want to listen must feel.”
Naidu confirmed the drug den claims.
The provincial Organised Crime Investigation Unit is investigating five cases of murder.
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