Ramaphosa: ‘We cannot be a country where people just pick up guns and start shooting’

President Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned a wave of mass shootings that left dozens dead across the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and said authorities have been ordered to step up efforts to reduce violent crime.

Weekend bloodshed and multiple attacks

The South African Police Service confirmed that suspects opened fire at a tavern in Wedela at roughly 9.30pm on Saturday, leaving 13 males and four females dead and seriously injuring a further 15 people. The suspects were reportedly armed with AK-47s and handguns and, following the shooting, allegedly searched patrons for cellphones and other valuables.

Last week, gunmen killed 11 people and injured three others in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban. In another incident, gunmen entered a house in the Ziko area before 11pm and opened fire on people gathered there; the source material notes the victims at that house included a pregnant woman.

In the Western Cape, an unknown number of gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue in Lwandle, near Strand, killing 10 people and injuring 11.

Presidential response and police action

Speaking to the media in Ekurhuleni, Ramaphosa said that “this is the level of criminality that we must bring down” and that security forces had been given clear instructions to reduce levels of criminality and violence.

“We cannot be a country where people just pick up guns and start shooting at people at random, making the people of South Africa unsafe,”

He added that more must be done to bring crime and violence down and said authorities would take the necessary actions to address the incidents.

Investigations under way

Police said they had used technology to identify images of suspects linked to the incident. Police are searching for suspects in connection with a shooting near Carletonville, the source said.

The president said the security forces would be “pulling out all stops” to arrest those responsible and to halt the spread of violence and criminality.