President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the killing of Eastern Cape traditional leader Nkosikazi Thenjiwe Eunice “Nogcinile” Mtirara.
The 71-year-old matriarch was shot dead in her royal home at Mqhekezweni Great Place on Tuesday night in the Mqhekezweni administrative area, outside Mthatha, by two men wearing balaclavas,” report says.
“This merciless attack on an elderly woman who is a leader in our society and a builder of communities fills us with grief, but it also fuels our resolve to stop violent crime and bring justice to those who live outside the law and have no respect for the dignity and lives of fellow citizens, ” he said in a statement.
“Every day in our country, our courts are dealing with perpetrators who thought they could get away with terrorising individuals or communities.
“The attack on Mqhekezweni Great Place will end equally disastrously for these perpetrators.”
The President also expressed sadness over the separate incident where five learners were raped and robbed at gunpoint less than 24 hours later in the same Bhityi administrative area.
Ramaphosa called it an “incident of gender-based violence” and urged the community to assist authorities.
The president says he expects justice to be exacted as well on suspects who raped and robbed five learners at gunpoint in the same Mqhekezweni administrative area less than 24 hours after the attack on the royal household.
Police spokesperson Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa said an investigating team and police forensic experts are on the ground.
