JOHANNESBURG: Six security guards were shot dead and four others injured near a school in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, police said on Monday. The attack occurred late Sunday night at the Lugongozo Junior Secondary School in Tina Falls, close to the town of Qumbu.
“Six people were fatally shot, and four were injured at the Lugongozo Junior Secondary School in Tina Falls near Qumbu last night,” police said in a statement.
A group of at least eight armed men, wielding rifles and handguns, opened fire on the guards just before they were about to begin their patrol, police said in a statement. The suspects remain at large as authorities launch a manhunt to apprehend those responsible.
The incident occurred in a region already reeling from violence. It comes just over a week after 18 people were killed in a mass shooting in Ngobozana village, located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from where this latest attack took place.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said that six guards managed to survive the attack. He added that authorities had identified six suspects, three of whom are believed to be local residents.
Masemola said that initial findings suggest the attack may be linked to stock theft and ongoing conflicts between various villages in the area. However, he stressed that a full picture of the motive would become clearer as investigations unfold.
The Tina Falls area is notorious for cattle raiding, which often fuels tensions and violence between local communities. Authorities are looking into whether the attack on the security guards is connected to these activities.
