Four killed in another tavern shooting at Jerusalema informal settlement

Four people have been killed in a local tavern in the Jerusalema informal settlement in Florida in yet another deadly tavern shooting in the early hours of Sunday.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Gauteng, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, has launched an investigation to trace the group of suspects behind the shooting.

According to reports, a group of unknown suspects stormed into the tavern on the West Rand and started randomly shooting at the patrons, killing four including the tavern owner.

“One of the deceased is alleged to be the owner of the unlicensed liquor outlet where the incident took place. The motive and circumstances surrounding the incident are unknown at this stage. The Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit’s Murder and Robbery team is investigating,” said General Mawela.

‘Zama Zama’ turf war

The community believe the shooting is linked to the zama zamas operating in the area. They said it is a result of a turf war.

According to the people who were on the scene, all four of the people killed are Zimbabwe nationals. They also claim that the alleged shooters are Lesotho nationals.

Community leaders told Enca that the influx of illegal miners is the cause of an increase in criminal activities and deadly shootings in the impoverished formal settlement.

“We have seen a lot of people being killed by the zama zamas, it is not the first time we have an incident of such nature, It is almost every week,” said one resident.

Eastern Cape tavern shooting

Three people were shot dead and three wounded when gunmen stormed in a tavern in Bityi in the Eastern Cape on 7 October 2022.

It is reported that patrons were drinking on the veranda of the tavern around 7pm when three unknown men entered the tavern and shot one person multiple times and told others to lie down on the floor.

“The suspects then went inside and a further two people, aged 31 and 41, were fatally wounded. Three other people, aged between 23 and 29, also sustained gunshot wounds and were taken to hospital for medical treatment,” said Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu.

Naidu said they are investigating three cases of murder and three of attempted murder. 

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