President Cyril Ramaphosa has conveyed his condolences to the families of the people who died in the Soweto tavern shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Fifteen people have been declared dead after a shooting in the Nomzamo informal settlement in Orlando West, Soweto. It’s believed that the perpetrators arrived at the tavern and shot indiscriminately.
Four people are also said to have died in Katlehong and Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, in similar circumstances.
Ramaphosa has offered his sympathies to the families of the people who have lost their lives in the two incidents. He has wished the injured survivors a speedy recovery.
The Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Ramaphosa has also called for the perpetrators to be brought to book.
“As government and citizens structures of civil society, we must all work together and even more closely to improve social and economic conditions in communities. Reduce violent crimes and stamp out the illicit circulation of firearms. Every single violent death is unacceptable and unwarranted. And killings on the scale we’ve seen in Soweto, Pietermaritzburg, and previously Khayelisha must spare us into a collective effort to build communities and make SA an unsafe place for criminals.”
Magwenya has called on South Africans to join hands in combating violent crimes.
‘Leave no stone unturned’
Gauteng premier David Makhura has condemned the shooting in Soweto. Makhura has urged the police to leave no stone unturned in tracking down the suspects.
“We have said to the police in our province that they must hunt down the perpetrators for this heinous crime. For every criminal activity committed in Gauteng, the police have been doing the best they can to hunt them down. And I must say that we have been strengthening the police teams that have been dealing with all sorts of crime. We must continue to do so.”
Calls for reinforcement of gun regulations
The South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) in Gauteng has called on the government to reinforce gun regulations in the country.
Sanco Provincial spokesperson, Chris Malematja says, “We want to call upon the law enforcement with the assistance of the community to bring the perpetrators to book. It is of real disappointment that in a new democratic South Africa people can still ambush people who are not doing anything wrong, who are just enjoying themselves.”
“We call upon the minister of Police to reinforce the regulations of these illegal guns and we ensure that those who are found to have illegal guns are having harsh sentences. We further want to speak to those who are operating taverns to ensure they have good security that is able to protect those going there for leisure,” Malematja adds.
Watch as a scuffle between community members breaks out following the Soweto tavern shooting:
Pietermaritzburg tavern shooting
Meanwhile, the community of Sweetwaters in Pietermaritzburg is reeling in shock following the brutal killing of four people in a tavern Saturday night. Eight others are fighting for their lives in hospital.
The Plesseslier police station has the third-highest number of murder cases in the province.
Mfanafuthi Dlamini’s brother is among the deceased. He was with his brother at the time of the shooting.
“Someone arrived and started shooting and when I heard the gunshots I hide under the table because I did not know what was happening. Later after shooting, I saw people on the floor and one of them was my brother inside. We rushed him to the hospital but unfortunately died on arrival at the hospital.”
“I did not see anyone having an argument, but only heard gunshots. I am very scared and shocked, and I don’t think I will ever go back there again.”
