According to Boksburg SAPS spokesperson Lieut Kwendzakwakhe Ngobese, a gunman killed two men outside a tavern during the early hours of November 8.
He arrived at the tavern and opened fire on one man, before he allegedly shot the other man, who was found a few metres from the tavern, moments later.
The first victim was shot in the head at close range and died on the scene. The second victim died in hospital a few hours later.
The man who later died in hospital told the police that he and the other man were attacked by the same gunman.
The third victim, known as Thomas Mayise, died after he was shot in the head in a separate incident on November 5.
The area has suffered a dramatic rise in killings, and residents suspect that the recent shooting was a tit-for-tat attack between illegal miners.
These killings are the latest incidents in a wave of violence that has left 13 other people dead.
The total number of people reportedly killed in the area since January this year, sits at 15.
Most of the confirmed killings have been stabbings or shootings, and the majority of the victims were slain over weekends, inside or nearby illegal shebeens operating in the informal settlement.
This high murder rate has recently prompted the police to step up patrols, while also mobilising the community to stand together against crime.
Police, too, suspect that the string of deadly attacks are related to an illegal mining turf war.
According to Boksburg SAPS spokesperson Lieut Kwendzakwakhe Ngobese, although the motives for the killings remain unclear, it is suspected that they might be related to illegal mining.
Ngobese said their investigators are obviously pursuing the possibility of these heinous crimes being committed by the same person or people – but they cannot overlook the fact that these crimes may have been committed by separate individuals.
On Sunday, November 8, fed up residents of the area elected a community committee to work with the police in eradicating the killings in the area. -@FanieFLK
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Illegal miners wage violent turf war
