DA calls for KZN peace committee

2012-08-06 18:01

Senzo Mchunu (File, Sapa)

Durban - The DA in KwaZulu-Natal has called for the establishment of a multi-party peace-keeping committee to help restore order to Sundumbili, after a weekend attack.

"The DA expects [Community Safety MEC Willies] Mchunu to bring in this committee, which has a vital role to play in dispelling the tension threatening to spill over into surrounding communities," the party's provincial leader Sizwe Mchunu said on Monday.

Five people were shot dead and 17 injured at Ngudwini, near Sundumbili, in northern KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said a group of armed assailants attacked people at a traditional function at the Khuzwayo homestead.

"The suspects opened fire on the group, fatally wounding five men and injuring 17 others. It is unknown at this stage what types of firearms were used."

He said the motive for the shooting was unknown, and it was not linked to political violence.

Mchunu said the attack was the result of an ongoing feud between two clans.

"This tragic incident also raises questions around the province's crime intelligence, which should have known about the friction in this area and kept a close watch."

Mchunu said attempts to disarm residents had failed, and that the attackers had built up a substantial arms cache.

"KwaZulu-Natal bears the scars of countless tribal and politically-motivated bloodbaths, and must never go back to the days when this was an almost daily occurrence," he said.

The DA sent its condolences to the families of those who died in the attack.

- SAPA