Cape Town - Mass killings, like the murder of eight people at the notorious Glebelands Hostel in Durban, should never become the norm.
Police reported that the men were shot on Saturday morning; seven were declared dead at the scene, while an eighth person died in hospital.
Glebelands is notorious. Between 2014 and 2019, more than 120 people died as a result of violence allegedly at the hands of hitmen.
Last year, nearly 30 people died in tavern shootings around the country.
In July, 16 people were killed at Nomzamo tavern in Orlando East, with Police Minister Bheki Cele saying more than 137 cartridges were recovered from the scene of the shooting, and that an AK47 had been used.
These mass shootings have again raised questions about the effectiveness of the Crime Intelligence Unit and its ability to prevent such atrocities.
The July unrest that took place in parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in 2021 has exposed the unit’s inability to gather intelligence.
Certainly, there are highly competent individuals who are part of this unit, but questions have been raised about political interference and how this has hamstrung them in their ability to do their jobs.
The expectation is that the Crime Intelligence Unit should be on the ground, using their network of informants, to gather information before these mass killings take place. Typically, the police have been reactive to such killings, and hitmen operate with impunity, resulting in regular attacks.
Arresting those who are planning these crimes is integral to Crime Intelligence’s work, but very often arrests only take place after these horrific crimes, if at all.
The best way to deal with crime and prevent more mass shootings is through crime intelligence, and Cele has not acknowledged the deficiencies that exist in these units, or taken sufficient steps to address their failings.
The country’s crime fighting institutions have been eroded over time through interference, incompetence and apathy, and reactionary rhetoric has done little to stem the violence or to prevent mass shootings in different parts of the country.
Allowing the status quo to remain unchanged will only embolden organised crime elements, while corruption and public violence will continue to increase.
Cape Times