Everson Luhanga
Police Minister Bheki Cele said investigators found 137 cartridges from high calibre machine guns including AK-47s at the Mdlalose tavern in Soweto.
Cele visited the residents in Orlando East on Monday following Saturday night’s mass shooting that left 15 people dead and others seriously injured.
Cele said it was clear that the gunmen had an intention to kill.
He dismissed speculation that the country is under attack by terrorists, saying the Soweto shooting was not a terrorist attack but rather a pure act of criminality by some individuals.
“Investigations are underway and so far, detectives have found out that most of the victims are from KwaZulu-Natal province,” he said.
He said high-profile detectives from Gauteng’s provincial crime detection have been assigned to work on the case to bring the perpetrators to book.
Cele raised concerns about the mushrooming of taverns in the township and noted it as a national problem. “In this area, there are more taverns than schools and churches combined.
“There are 234 shebeens and 29 bottle stores. It is a concerning situation,” he said.
He said in fighting crime, he will bring in the Tactical Response Team (TRT), famously known as Amabarete in Orlando, to deal with criminals.
The TRT is a group of specially trained officers that are utilised in a variety of law enforcement situations that exceed the capabilities of standard patrol resources. Cele used them to calm the volatile situation in Diepsloot and Pimville earlier this year.
Gauteng provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela said the province’s intelligence operatives are on the ground working with the police.
Mawela said detectives have been given all the resources to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to book.
Residents in the area accused the minister and his government officials of only visiting them during election time and during times of crisis like this one.
“The president was here weeks before the elections and he promised electricity in Nomzamo. What is happening today? We are still in the dark,” said one resident.
Gauteng MEC for Community Safety Faith Mazibuko said that electricity will be provided to the area as promised.
The police are appealing to the public who may have witnessed the incident or have information that could lead to the apprehension of the suspects. They are urging possible witnesses to report on the Crime Stop hotline at 08600 10111 or to give a tip-off on the MySAPS app. All information received will be treated as strictly confidential.
