A string of tavern mass shootings in recent months has raised serious concerns about community safety in South Africa. 

The latest incident occurred on Friday night at a tavern in Choba informal settlement, Olievenhoutbosch, claiming six lives. 

The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a gang turf war between Lesotho and Mozambican nationals.

Community leaders, police, and political parties have raised alarm about safety and the implications of illegal tavern operations. 

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) expressed concern that illegal taverns are operating without adhering to safety standards, putting patrons at risk. 

“The ATM raises serious concerns about compliance with safety regulations, licensing conditions, and the broader role such establishments may play in perpetuating criminal activity within vulnerable communities,” said party spokesperson Zama Ntshona.

GOOD Secretary-General Brett Herron attributed the attack to a larger crisis of crime and violence in impoverished communities, emphasising the need for spatial and socioeconomic transformation to address the root causes. 

“We have a duty to confront our failure to address the spatial legacy conditions that create socio-economic conditions conducive to crime and gangsterism,” he said.

Recent months have seen a concerning surge in tavern killings, including a January incident in Mpumalanga province’s Pienaar area, where unidentified gunmen opened fire outside a tavern, killing eight patrons.

A February incident in Mandeni, north of KwaZulu-Natal, resulted in the deaths of four people, including two off-duty SAPS members, in a tavern shooting.

Last October, a tavern owner in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg, allegedly shot and killed family members of a patron with whom he had a dispute, resulting in seven murders.

Oupa Mataboge, representative of the South African Liquor Traders Association, blamed the police for allowing the unlicensed tavern to operate. 

“Places like that in Olievenhoutbosch are not allowed to sell liquor because there is no infrastructure,” he said in a television interview.

He expressed concern that law enforcement failed to take action despite the tavern’s extended period of illegal operation.

Ward 77 councillor in Olievenhoutbosch, Thembeni Thabatha, said on Sunday that although the exact motivation behind the gunfight remains unclear, it appears to have been a clash between Mozambican and Lesotho nationals.

He said it was the first time the two groups had a physical altercation, but there had been long-standing tensions between them.

He identified the challenge facing his ward’s community as the presence of two informal settlements, Choba and Mahlangu, which are predominantly occupied by Lesotho nationals.

Thabatha claimed the Lesotho nationals have constantly been accused of serious crimes such as rape and murder.

He appealed to the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, and various departments to collaborate in addressing the issue of illegal immigration in his ward.

“Most of the foreign nationals here don’t have documents and they are the ones busy committing crime in our communities. We call upon the home affairs department and the metro police to come and conduct raids in those squatter camps,” he said.

The police are currently searching for around ten suspects, who were armed with pistols and rifles, stormed the tavern and opened fire randomly, according to Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo.

“The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage. The police have opened a case of murder and attempted murder for investigation,” he said.

He urged anyone with information that could aid the investigation or help capture the suspects to contact their nearest police station or call Crime Stop at 08600 10111.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

Source link