The Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s portfolio committee on community safety has expressed concern that the trend of mass shootings has again reared its ugly head.
In a statement on Tuesday, the committee said it has learnt with great concern that six men were killed and one injured during in a shooting at a tavern in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni. The committee has requested members of the public who have information to come forward.
“While at this stage the motive of the killings is unknown the committee is worried that the trend seen in 2022 of mass shootings in taverns is once again rearing its ugly head,” it said in a statement.
It said advocates for tighter laws to regulate and control areas where alcohol is sold and consumed because alcohol is a major driver of crime-related incidents in the province.
The swift arrest of the suspects, said the committee, would contribute to bringing some form of closure to the families who lost their loved ones during the senseless killing.
It has urged owners and operators of places where alcohol is consumed to put stricter measures in place to ensure that patrons are safe at all times to avoid such incidents from taking place.
“Places where alcohol is consumed should be seen as places of leisure and not crime scenes as witnessed during this past weekend.”
It also added that it will continue to monitor developments around this particular matter until those who are responsible are brought to book and face the full might of the law.
In a separate incident, police in Gqeberha in Eastern Cape have launched a manhunt following the killing of five people on Sunday.
A group of gunmen hallgedly entered a backyard dwelling of the main house located in Koedoe Street in Gelvandale and sprayed the victims with bullets. The deceased included three men and two women aged between 24 and 42.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa.
