Man killed in faction fighting

2008-08-21 11:37

Durban - A game ranger at KwaZulu-Natal's Umfolozi Reserve was shot dead and two of his colleagues wounded in an apparent 10-year feud over jobs, paramedics said on Thursday.

In the attack on Wednesday evening, the three rangers had just gone off duty and were walking past the reserve's exit gate when they were shot at, said Joseph Kruger, spokesperson for Mounties Ambulance Service.

Kruger said the victims were found lying in a pool of blood outside the exit gate. One of them, Mbunti Nyandeni, was declared dead at the scene after being shot in the chest.

"The remaining two are in a critical condition in hospital. One sustained wounds to the shoulder and the other had wounds on his hand and leg."

This was the second incident in the past two weeks involving rangers. Kruger said last week an employee of KZN Ezemvelo Wildlife was shot dead.

Police on Thursday said they believed this was linked to faction-fighting between two communities. Captain Jabulani Mdletshe disputed the location of Wednesday's shooting, saying the three were having drinks near the reserve when they were shot.

The three victims were from the Ezimambeni area, which is part of the Machibini community.

Mdletshe said police believed the attack was related to an ongoing feud between the Ezimambeni and Esiyembeni communities, both from the Umfolozi district. He said the two factions had been feuding since 1998 but did not know why.

"We will be meeting with community leaders today (Thursday) to find out the reasons for this faction fighting, because we don't know why this is happening."

However, paramedics and a community leader, not wanting to be named, said the dispute was over jobs.

No arrests had been made yet.

- SAPA