Ladysmith shooting and accident death toll climbs

Spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said another person in the taxi crash had succumbed to injuries, bringing the death toll in the crash to nine.

 

Saturday's carnage started when the occupants of a VW Golf shot at five people in a Mercedes Benz on Peters Road.

 

One woman died in the Mercedes and the other four occupants were wounded and taken to hospital.

 

Eight people were killed when the taxi collided with a lorry as the taxi driver tried to avoid the shooting.

 

Not long afterwards five men at a car wash in Ezakheni's B-Section in Ladysmith were shot dead by the occupants of a Toyota Avenza.

 

One man managed to escape being killed.

 

"We are still trying to find him," said Zwane.

 

Zwane could not say what the motive for the attack was or whether the two shootings were linked.

 

He could not confirm whether the attacks were related. However, KwaZulu-Natal safety and security MEC Willies Mchunu said in a statement on Sunday evening that the modus operandi made it difficult, at face value, to conclude that the two shooting incidents were not related.

 

Zwane could also not confirm whether it was a case of mistaken identity as had been reported by the Mercury newspaper on Monday.

 

The newspaper quoted Ladysmith mayor Vincent Madlala as saying initial reports indicated that the attack on the Mercedes could have been a case of mistaken identity.

 

He was quoted as saying: "We are told that the people who shot at the Mercedes walked towards the car, then seemed to realise they got the wrong people."