Many residents had a quiet Sunday night on 24 April until gunshots rang out at about 22:00. According to accounts, the shooting came from the back of Begonia Street. Shots were also fired at the corner of Reinecke and Agnew and towards Kaolin Street and Impala Drive.
According to residents, some shots were from automatic firearms. During the chaos, some residents blew whistles to warn of danger while others were screaming.
A resident of Reinecke Street says he and his wife were smoking outside when they suddenly heard the shooting.
“It was terrible and not far from the houses,” he told the Herald.
Social media messages warned residents to keep safe and stay away from the areas where the shooting was happening.
The following morning, the Carletonville police explained what had happened.
A group of people were sleeping in makeshift dwellings next to Agnew Road, where the Merafong City Local Municipality used to store its refuse collection trucks. This area is now overgrown and an illegal dumping site.
A group of illegal miners from the Blyvoor area attacked these people, some of whom were suspected to be involved in crime in the area. Shooting ensued between the two groups.
Although no one died, one squatter was shot through his chin, and the zama-zamas kidnapped another. The zamas dragged the man with them as they ran back towards Blyvoor. However, they released him near the four-way crossing at the 007 shopping complex, realising he was not a Lesotho national like them.
As far as could be determined, the zamas wanted extortion money from the illegal dwellers.
Although an illegal miner’s body was discovered near the Carleton-ville graveyard early Monday morning, police say the death was unrelated to the other shooting. They suspect this zama-zama died underground and was dumped near the graveyard.
For years, law-abiding residents have complained about the state of the municipal land where the incident occurred. The entry and exit routes to the area are blocked with refuse and more dumping takes place in the bushes. This makes it an ideal place for criminals like cable thieves to hide and run illegal activities.
On Tuesday, the Herald asked the municipality what it planned to do about the site, which is not only a health risk but, most probably, harbours cable thieves too. According to the municipality, they are not aware of the latest incident. No other response was received.
