Seven people killed in tavern shooting in North West

An indiscriminate shooting in a North West tavern has claimed the lives of seven people.

Gunmen attacked the tavern in Kanana township, outside Orkney, in the early hours of Saturday morning, 27 July. In addition to the seven people killed, several others were injured.

Motive still unclear – police

North West police commissioner Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena condemned the shooting.

Police report that the gunmen were allegedly looking for Basotho peoples, but then began shooting randomly at the patrons.

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In the chaos, six men and one women were killed.

“The suspects then took the CCTV system, cash from the till and snooker table. The suspects further robbed patrons of their cellphones and fled from the scene,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.

“Police are still combing through the scene. The motive is yet to be determined and no arrest has been effected.”

Murder in North West

The North West province registered 344 murders in the last available set of crime stats announced by police.

Reporting for the period between October and December 2023, 62 of those murders occurred during arguments or individual clashes.

Another 32 murders during those three months were the result of robberies and 34 murders were recorded in or near drinking establishments in the province.

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The latest incident near Orkney would place the victim count joint-second in the national list of highest single-incident murders during the period.

Nine people were killed near Rustenburg when men opened fire on a gathering in a backyard, while seven men were found shot in the street after an incident in KwaMashu.

Police minister budgets R2bn for VIPs

Also, Action Society highlighted its displeasure earlier this month at Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu’s budget for the 2024/25 financial year.

Mchunu set aside R2 billion for VIP protection services for government employees, with the civil rights organisation saying the money could be better spent.

Mchunu also revealed that the South African Police Service has been allocated R113.5 billion, while crime intelligence received R4.74 billion.