By Charmaine Ndlela
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for urgent action to bring down South Africa’s levels of violent crime after 27 people were killed and 26 injured in two separate mass shootings in Gauteng and the Western Cape in a matter of hours.
Speaking to members of the media following the the two attacks that took place at a tavern in Wedela, near Carletonville, on Saturday night and at a shisanyama in Lwandle, in the Western Cape, in the early hours of Sunday morning, Ramaphosa said the country could not become a place where people simply pick up firearms and shoot at others.
ALSO READ: 11th body found in Springs as police intensify investigation
He further described the incidents as evidence of the level of criminality that security forces must confront.
A separate mass shooting took place in Lwandle, Western Cape, in the early hours of Sunday left, 10 people dead and 11 others injured after gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue.
Ramaphosa said the latest attacks, together with the KwaMakhutha mass shooting in KwaZulu-Natal earlier this week in which 11 people were killed and three injured, demonstrated the need for security forces to intensify their efforts against violent crime.
ALSO READ: R1bn fund must build businesses that create jobs, says Godlimpi
“This is the level of criminality that we must bring down and our security forces are now going to continue pulling out all stops,” Ramaphosa said.
He said security forces had been instructed to “pull out all stops” to reduce crime and violence.
“It cannot go on like this and the clear instruction to our security forces is that we must bring the levels of criminality and violence down,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa also pointed to the use of technology in the Carletonville investigation, saying images of the suspected attackers had been identified and would assist police in tracking them down.
ALSO READ: SIU secures R42.4 millioin in assets linked to alleged Tembisa Hospital bribery scheme
“Technology was utilised to identify the images of those people who killed the 17 people,” he said.
“That is going to be a great aid to the police as they will follow in the tracks of those people.”
The president further said that necessary actions will be taken to address the ongoing mass shooting, saying that this has to be brought to an end.
Police investigations into the Carletonville shooting have already produced leads, with Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Fred Kekana saying the attack appeared to be linked to an earlier shooting at the same tavern.
ALSO READ: Two separate mass shootings leave 27 dead, 26 injured across SA overnight
Addressing the media, Kekana said one person who was killed in Saturday night’s attack had been sought by police in connection with the previous incident, raising the possibility that the latest shooting was an act of retaliation.
“There was a shooting at the same tavern last month where we lost one life and one person was injured,” Kekana said.
He said the latest incident was, at this stage, viewed as possible retaliation by another group.
Gauteng Provincial Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni also said investigators were considering several lines of inquiry, including robbery and possible links to illegal mining.
Mthombeni said patrons had their personal belongings and cooler bags taken during the attack, while police were also investigating whether the violence was connected to conflicts surrounding illegal mining in the area.
Reuters has reported that police were examining possible links to a turf war involving illegal miners in the Carletonville area, while the Western Cape shooting was being investigated as potentially linked to a business rivalry.
Mthombeni said only three of the 17 deceased had been identified at the time of the briefing.
Of those identified, one was South African, while others were foreign nationals.
Among the injured, police confirmed that 11 were South African, one was Ethiopian and three were Lesotho nationals.
Police said the Carletonville victims comprised 13 men and four women, while 14 men and one woman were among those injured.
Mthombeni said a multidisciplinary team comprising crime intelligence, detectives, crime-scene management, the Criminal Records Centre and tracking teams was working on the investigation.
He said investigators had already obtained leads and expressed confidence that these would assist in locating the suspects.
In Lwandle, Western Cape police have established a multidisciplinary team led by serious violent crime detectives following the shooting at an entertainment venue.
Police said the motive had not yet been established and no arrests had been made.
Western Cape Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sizakhele Dyantyi, has established a multidisciplinary team, led by serious violent crime detectives, to investigate after 10 people were shot and killed in Lwandle in the early hours of this morning.
“Ten yet-to-be-identified individuals, comprising eight men and two women, were killed during a shooting incident at an entertainment place in Lwandle, after gunmen entered the business and started shooting indiscriminately at patrons in the early hours of Sunday morning,” she said.
“Eleven others sustained injuries, prompting Lwandle police to open murder and attempted murder cases. No arrests have been affected.”
The Western Cape attack has further heightened concerns over the safety of liquor and entertainment establishments, particularly after the deadly shooting in Carletonville.
ALSO READ: Afrika Mayibuye commits to abolish the tender system if it’s elected to government after LGE 2026
The Liquor Traders Association has meanwhile warned that repeated shootings at taverns and other liquor outlets are creating an existential threat to businesses operating in the sector.
The association said it had raised concerns about compliance and safety with Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, arguing that the provincial Liquor Board does not have enough resources to monitor every liquor outlet.
It has called on liquor traders to comply with regulations governing the sale of alcohol while also urging authorities to improve protection around entertainment venues.
The association said traders were increasingly worried about opening their businesses when they could potentially become the scene of another deadly shooting.
It also stressed that liquor traders regarded themselves as part of the communities in which they operated and were concerned about criminal activity spilling over into their businesses.
During his visit to Carletonville, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also met community members following the shooting this morning.
Lesufi extended condolences to the families of those killed and wished those hospitalised a speedy recovery.
ALSO READ: Mosimane gets Bafana off to a winning start
He said government understood the fear and anxiety gripping the community and acknowledged concerns raised by residents about policing and capacity.
The Premier said government would allow police to conduct their investigation without interference while awaiting updates from law enforcement.
“You are not alone. We are with you,” Lesufi told the community.
His visit came as the police investigation continued, with forensic specialists working alongside provincial and local crime-scene teams to gather evidence.
Ramaphosa said the government would continue taking action to address violent crime, warning that South Africans could not be left feeling unsafe in their own communities.
“We do need to bring the levels of criminality down throughout the country as much as possible,” the President said.
The latest attacks come as police continue investigations into the KwaMakhutha shooting in KwaZulu-Natal, where 11 people were killed, including a pregnant woman and three wounded after armed men opened fire at a house in the Ziko area on Tuesday night. Police have said a feud between rival groupings could not be ruled out in that case.
With active probes underway for all three events, law enforcement officials have not yet reported any breakthroughs regarding the recent violence in the Western Cape and Gauteng.
