A new crime menace has caught the police and country by surprise. Tavern shootings have become our new killing fields. Patrons are having a drink, catching up in conversation and dancing, and then they are suddenly confronted by the mouth of a gun spraying bullets at random.
This is the equivalent of drive-by shootings in the US where periodically a crazed gunman (usually a man) randomly shoots at a passersby, and even schools. American gun culture has been blamed for those incidents, while solutions elude the authorities.
We also have a gun culture at home. There are hundreds of thousands of firearms that are unaccounted for in the hands of all manner of rogues, from taxi industry to hostel dwellers, zama zamas (illegal miners), gangsters and so on.
Thousands of high-calibre firearms from the 80s and 90s political violence in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remain unaccounted for. Foreigners are also armed to the teeth as we saw when the police raided illegal immigrants in the Johannesburg city centre and were forced to retreat when the community opened fire.
Just last year, armed Somali shopkeepers forced armed taxi drivers to retreat during a confrontation.
The police firearms register is a mess, with claims of cops in charge said to be selling guns to gangsters.
The tavern shootings are the culmination of our unfettered gun culture. Fifteen people were mowed down at Mdlalose Tavern in Orlando East last week, three more were killed by unknown gunmen at KwaMashaba tavern in Roodepoort and two people were gunned down at Maputlane Inn in Katlehong.
Coming so soon after 21 teenagers died mysteriously at Enyobeni Tavern in East London, these events will make many patrons think twice before visiting drinking places, particularly in our townships.
The police have collected cartridges and CCTV footage, while the motive for the killings and the suspects remain unknown.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has deployed amaBherete (the tactical response team) in affected areas. The minister shot off his big mouth when he warned potential police recruits that if they sported a tattoo they would never join the police ranks because people with tattoos “have a tendency of being a gangster”.
If President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot fire this clueless minister, perhaps he should send him back to the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, where he served as deputy minister. At least there he cannot do harm to the carrots and cabbage heads.
Meanwhile, please do like Vusi does: drink at home.
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