Man killed and daughter, 7, injured in suspected hit-style murder

A man was killed and his seven-year-old daughter injured when gunmen broke into their home in KwaNobuhle on Thursday morning.

Lunga Pongoma, 35, who has been in and out of jail for a series of crimes, was shot dead in his bed in what possible suspect may be a gang-related hit.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Majola Nkohli said the incident happened at Pongoma's home in Dalindyebo Avenue, KwaNobuhle, Uitenhage at about 2am.

“He was sleeping and two men forced the bedroom window open and climbed inside. They shot him (Pongoma) inside his bed.

“A bullet grazed his seven-year-old daughter [who was in the room] in the upper body during the incident. She was later rushed to hospital and is said to be fine,” he said.

“His 15-year-old daughter was sleeping in the other room and went to investigate after the incident. She alerted the authorities and the girl was taken to hospital. The gunmen fled through the lounge door.”

Nkohli said they did not know what the motive was, but confirmed that Pongoma had been arrested several times for a string of cases including hijackings.

At the time of Pongoma's murder, he however had no pending cases against him.

Last week, in the Bay alone, nine hit-style type murders were reported over a seven-day period.

Police suspect some of the cases are linked to SMMEs while others are linked to witness killings and internal fights among gangsters.

All the cases are under investigation by the provincial organised crime team to consolidate the information.