Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Ian Cameron, says 120 people have been killed in mass shootings this year alone.
This follows a bloody weekend across the country, with at least 33 people killed in four separate attacks in the West Rand and Cape Town. If the mass shooting in KwaMakhuta, south of Durban, is taken into account, the death toll rises to at least 43 in just one week.
Cameron says his tally is based on police statements, data from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) and other reports, noting that incidents like police shootouts or where fewer than three were killed have been excluded.
While his review does not reflect official figures, Cameron says his review highlights the need for a different approach to investigating the violence. He says this past weekend’s incidents also highlight the need for tougher enforcement at taverns and entertainment venues.
Cameron says the GI-TOC has also warned about the links between mass shootings, extortion, targeted killings, criminal markets and illicit firearms.
“Extortion itself is almost certainly badly under-reported. Stats SA’s latest victim survey shows that large numbers of crimes never reach police. Only 41.7% of street-robbery victims, for example, reported some or all incidents to SAPS. For someone facing extortion, the stakes are even higher. People are being threatened with death if they don’t pay. If they don’t trust their local police station to protect their information, reporting can feel like putting their own life or family at risk.”
Cameron argues that police must look beyond the trigger pullers.
“Where organised crime indicators are present, Crime Intelligence, organised crime investigators, detectives, ballistics and prosecutors must work together from the beginning. Who ordered the attack? Who paid? Who supplied the firearms and ammunition? Were there previous threats or extortion demands? Do the ballistics connect the weapons to other shootings?”
The latest shooting left 10 people dead and 11 injured in Lwandle, near Strand, in the early hours of Sunday morning, 27 September.
On Saturday night in Wedela, on Gauteng’s West Rand, 17 people were killed at a tavern. The death toll later climbed to 18, after another victim died in hospital. Eight gunmen, some armed with AK-47 rifles, are being sought.
A shooting incident in Khayelitsha, also on Saturday night, saw four people shot dead.
Western Cape MEC of Police Oversight and Community Safety, Anroux Marais, has condemned the horrific loss of life in the two separate shooting incidents in the province.
“These are horrific acts of violence that have left communities traumatised. There can be no justification for the deliberate taking of so many lives, and my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all those who have lost their lives.”
In the Khayelitsha incident, four men were killed in a shooting in Mthuma Street, Site C, on Saturday evening. Three victims were declared deceased at the scene, while a fourth succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a medical facility.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed and 11 injured when gunmen opened fire at an entertainment establishment in Lwandle. SAPS has established a multidisciplinary team led by Serious and Violent Crime detectives to investigate the attacks.
“Every person who had a hand in these attacks must be held accountable and prosecuted where the evidence supports it. Those who supply firearms to criminals, those who organise violent attacks and those who carry them out must understand that their actions will not be tolerated. Following the chain of responsibility is essential if we are to disrupt the networks that continue to put firearms into the hands of criminals.”
Meanwhile, the MMC of Safety and Security, JP Smith, says the brazen nature of the shootings countrywide shows the national crisis we are facing when it comes to violent crime and murders by syndicates that have “completely lost their humanity.”
“This crisis has been given the oxygen to flourish due to prolonged national policing failures, and now course-correcting at this point will be extremely difficult, but urgent reform is needed to combat this through better detection methods, increased use of crime intelligence and having secure methods for communities to report threats safely.”
Smith says these syndicates must be found, convicted and removed from society.
“Nationally, the criminal justice system must act to stop this. They cannot ignore this threat any longer.”
Smith says they have reached out to Provincial SAPS management to offer assistance from the City’s Safety and Security investigations and information management services (SSIU, SSIMS), and they will provide any other support they require, including technology and additional resources.
*This article has been updated
