'We thought it was legit': Bekkersdal tavern owner misled police with fake licence after mass shooting
Police descended on the Bekkersdal area following the deadly shooting where 10 people lost their lives in the early hours of Sunday.
Image: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers
Police in Gauteng have established that the operating licence presented by the owner of a tavern where a brutal mass shooting claimed 10 lives in Bekkersdal on Sunday was fraudulent.
The shooting took place at Kwa-Noxolo Tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday afternoon, acting Gauteng provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said the owner of the tavern would be arrested immediately.
“On the day in question, when we were here, we checked the licence and took copies of the ID. We then went to the Liquor Board for full verification. Just now, as we are here, a report with a statement came from the Liquor Board confirming that the licence is fraudulent,” Kekana said.
Acting Gauteng police commissioner, Major General Fred Kekana
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
“As we speak now, we are going to arrest her so that she faces the music. She cannot use a fraudulent licence and then play a situation like this. If this tavern had not been allowed to operate, this incident would not have happened. The licence appeared genuine, which is why it took us at least a day to verify it with the Liquor Board.”
Following the mass shooting, the South African Police Service initially believed the murders had taken place at a legitimate business premises and issued statements to that effect.
“We thought people were at a legitimate establishment and that criminals came and committed the crime. It has now emerged that the establishment itself was not legitimate, and we are dealing with the owner accordingly,” Kekana said.
In a statement issued after the attack, acting Gauteng Premier Jacob Mamabolo extended his condolences to the families and friends of those who lost their lives, while also wishing the injured a swift recovery.
“Our hearts are heavy, and we convey our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. We also wish a full and speedy recovery to those who are injured,” he said.
Mamabolo expressed deep concern over what he described as a troubling escalation of mass shootings in Gauteng.
He noted that the Bekkersdal attack had occurred just weeks after another devastating incident at the Saulsville Hostel in Pretoria, where 11 people were killed and 14 others injured.
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