Five killed in separate incidents in Bay over the weekend

Five people were killed in separate incidents in Zwide, New Brighton and Veeplaas at the weekend.

Of the five fatal shootings, three of them happened in Mabopa Street and the nearby Johnson Street in Zwide.

The first incident saw Mandelake Madini, 22, killed at about 1:15pm on Saturday in Mabopa Street after trying to escape an unknown number of gunmen.

Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge said witnesses reported hearing gunshots in the nearby street and when they went to look, Madini was found lying dead in a garden.

“None of the culprits were seen and details remain unknown,” he said.“At this stage we have not ruled out the possibility of this being linked to a gang style assassination.”

Officials on the scene said that Madini was known to police and is believed to have recently gone into hiding.

Beetge said police were confirming details but the motive remained unknown.

“He was shot multiple times and nothing appears to have been stolen,” he said.

At 9:45pm on the same day, the body of an unknown man was found lying in a street in Veeplaas – between the shacks.

“The circumstances remain unknown. Several shots were heard by residents and when they went to look, he was found lying in the street. According to witnesses, no one saw what happened.”

Beetge said his identify was unknown and robbery was a possible motive.

“He had no wallet or form of identification on him. We are still investigating the motive and trying to establish his identity.”

About 30 minutes later, Sindiswa Gelo, 58, was killed in the house section of Smiths Taverns in Eight Street in New Brighton.

“The woman [Gelo] was shot in the face. Nothing appears to be missing from the house. The tavern was closed at the time.”

Beetge said her body was found when a friend returned to the house.“He found her lying in a pool of blood inside the house. The man claims to have heard no gunshot and does not know what happened,” he said.

By 1am on Sunday, Kenneth Rasetelo, 32, was shot and killed outside the Thanda Bantu Tavern in Mabopa Street in Zwide.

“He was standing outside the tavern near his vehicle, a VW Polo. A group of four men walked up to him and asked for a lift.

“He declined to give them a ride when they pulled out firearms and started shooting,” Beetge said.

“The deceased died outside the tavern and the gunmen fled on foot.”Beetge said the VW Polo and no valuables were stolen but the motive could have been robbery or attempted hijacking.

“The motive is still under investigation at this time,” he said.At 2am, also on Sunday, an unknown man was taken to Dora Nginza Hospital.

“According to the hospital, the man was brought in and left there. It is unknown who dropped him off. He had several gunshots wounds and died at the hospital,” Beetge said.

“All the information that we have is that the deceased was shot near Johnson road in Zwide.

What happened or how the incident unfolded remains unknown,” Beetge said.

Beetge said that the spate of shootings and murders were all under investigation.

“We do not know what sparked all these recent shootings and it is being investigated. Part of the probe is to determine if any of these shootings and murders are linked,” he added.

All five murder cases are under investigation by the Motherwell detectives.