As it happened: Gauteng Deputy Commissioner details 'inhuman' Bekkersdal tavern shooting
Police are combing the scene, following every lead, and vowing to trace and arrest the perpetrators responsible for this horrific crime.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana has detailed a horrific and unprovoked attack at a tavern in Bekkersdal near Johannesburg, in which multiple people were killed and others seriously injured.
IOL previously reported that nine people were shot dead and 10 others injured in a multiple shooting in Bekkersdal during the early hours of Sunday.
According to Kekana, a white Toyota Quantum and a silver Toyota Etios arrived at the tavern where people had been going about their business when the attackers opened fire at around 1am.
“They attacked, randomly shot the people, some of the people tried to run away, two of them were in there, tried to get into the Golf, the black Golf that was taken now recently by the police tow truck, they were also shot and killed,” Kekana said.
Inside the tavern, three people were shot and killed, while 10 others sustained serious gunshot injuries, he said.
Kekana said some people attempted to flee, but three were shot before reaching a nearby clinic.
Tragically, those three succumbed to their injuries, Kekana added.
As the attackers continued along the same route, they encountered an elderly driver, whom they also shot before disappearing.
Kekana said that police believe there were around ten suspects, nine armed with pistols and one carrying an AK-47 rifle.
"Immediately after the shooting, they left the scene and then returned. They searched the victims, both those who had died and those who were injured, taking their cell phones and valuables. Some of the suspects were allegedly wearing balaclavas," he said.
The motive behind the attack remains under investigation, he said.
Kekana explained that serious violent crime investigators from the province, Gauteng detectives, and the provincial detective training team are on the scene, working alongside the national and provincial crime scene management teams, local criminal records centre, and local detectives.
The motive remains unclear for the mass shooting.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Their aim, he said, is to ensure that “every lead, every piece of information is followed up and addressed to ensure that we identify and unravel this specific case, to identify, trace and arrest those who did this.”
Describing the attack as “inhuman,” Kekana emphasised that law enforcement would not rest until all the perpetrators are apprehended.
“It’s a horrible thing, something which is inhuman and cannot be allowed or tolerated; therefore, those thugs and criminals who did this, we are not going to rest until we trace all of them,” he said.
Residents of Bekkersdal say the community is living in fear due to frequent gunfire, which they attribute to ongoing gang-related activity, and claim they are not adequately protected.
The Gauteng Provincial Government has pledged its full support to law enforcement as investigations continue.
Police have launched a manhunt following a deadly shooting at a tavern in Bekkersdal in the early hours of Sunday.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
“The Gauteng Provincial Government will provide all necessary support to the South African Police Service (SAPS) as they conduct a manhunt and investigation to find the perpetrators of this heinous act," said Acting Gauteng Premier Jacob Mamabolo.
''We have full confidence in our law enforcement agencies and call on them to leave no stone unturned in ensuring those responsible are apprehended and face the full might of the law.”
He also reiterated the provincial government’s concerns about the challenges posed by liquor establishments within communities, particularly where non-compliance with the law contributes to criminal activity.
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