DURBAN – KwaZulu-Natal Community Safety MEC Neliswa Nkonyeni said traditional healers should work with police to fight crime after it emerged that a victim who died in a mass shooting wanted to be cleansed for a crime he committed.
Seven people died after unknown gunmen opened fire near a tuckshop on Saturday night in Marianhill.
It's understood at least three of the victims were members of the same family.
Police said the attackers were allegedly targeting a man who was there to consult a traditional healer, allegedly waiting to get a cleansing for crimes he reportedly committed.
Nkonyeni said the latest details will form part of a police investigation.
She visited the families of the victims following her inspection of the crime scene on Sunday afternoon.
"The suspect had actually visited a traditional healer around the area who is known for providing cleansing services. This one seemingly wanted to be cleansed after having committed some other crime somewhere else," she said.
The MEC said fighting crime should be a concerted community effort.
“Because people will come and say you know I have committed a crime, I want to be cleansed now. So that the police cannot really arrest me. So they (traditional healers) need to be working with police, with the policing community forum in the area so that we can all work together in order to combat criminality in the province of KwaZulu Natal.”
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