Sibonelo Zwane
The massacre at the Mdlalose Tavern in Nomzamo Park, Soweto was a hit, according to the police.
Johannesburg District Commissioner General Max Masha said SAPS investigators have a strong lead and could soon arrest the gunmen who shot dead 16 people and left eight in hospital.
Speaking to the media outside Orlando police station, Masha said the police investigations have linked the shooting to organised crime.
“The shooting was a hit and the suspects have been identified,” he said.
“Arrests will be made soon but for now that’s all I can reveal. We don’t want to jeopardise the case.”
Police Minister Bheki Cele told the media at the Alexandra police station on Friday that they have identified the suspects in the Mdlalose tavern shooting to be from KwaZulu-Natal.
Cele also said arrests of the suspects are imminent.
Masha said SAPS members from various units were still patrolling Nomzamo and that operations would follow in the township.
“We also need to strengthen our relationship with the liquor traders and make sure that they conform to by-laws,” he said.
The visits were requested by the Gauteng Legislature’s portfolio committee on safety.
Orlando SAPS station commander Brigadier Nonhlanhla Kubheka said she was having sleepless nights over what she witnessed at Mdlalose’s tavern.
“I was one of the first people on the scene. What I saw still gives me goosebumps. I’ve never witnessed such brutality in my entire career,” she said.
She said they also need a phone number that will help the community to reach them quicker in emergencies.
