The tavern that was the site of a horrific massacre that claimed eight lives has been closed by Mpumalanga law enforcement.
A barrage of bullets was fired by gunmen during the attack, which took place on Saturday at around 4 a.m.
At the scene, six victims — five men and one woman — were declared dead, and two more— a man and a woman — died in the hospital.
Three survivors — two men and a woman — are still in the hospital getting treatment for severe wounds.
One of the deceased was found inside one of the two Volkswagen Polos that were found at the scene, both of which had bullet holes in them.
Jackie Macie, Mpumalanga’s MEC for community safety, security, and liaison, denounced the violence and promised swift action during a media briefing in Mbombela on Wednesday.
“We are on top of the situation. We will be able to deal with Pienaar, and we are satisfied that the suspects have been arrested. We won’t provide many details because we are still investigating,” Macie said.
“We want to inform the media that we have temporarily closed the tavern because it is still a crime scene.”
Crime hotspot
Macie drew attention to Pienaar’s history of dealing with criminal activity.
“You will note that Pienaar is a problem. At a particular time, we identified Pienaar as a hotspot,” he said.
During the holiday season, the area had experienced a rare moment of calm, but the massacre broke that silence.
“During the December holidays, there were no serious incidents recorded at that police station.”
A higher-ranking officer is needed at the local police station, according to the MEC, who also called for stronger leadership there.
“You will note that the station is being led by a colonel,” Macie said.
“We need to move to make sure that a brigadier is deployed to that station so that he has full command and takes responsibility for that station.”
Possible link to the massacre
According to Lieutenant-General (Dr) Zeph Mkhwanazi, the commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, two important suspects have been arrested.
“We will add to these suspects, but these [two] were very prominent to us. Everything stops by them,” he said.
Mkhwanazi, however, voiced concern about the lack of ammunition found during the arrests, raising the possibility that the suspects and the ammunition used in the tavern massacre were connected.
Following their appearance at the Kabokweni magistrate’s court, the suspects — who were already charged with possession of unlicenced firearm — were remanded in custody.
Macie praised members of the community for their vital information that resulted in the arrests. “We have confidence that justice will prevail,” he assured.
