A hail of gunfire tore through Cleveland’s Jumpers informal settlement in Johannesburg on Tuesday night, leaving 12 people dead and nine wounded in what police describe as a coordinated attack.
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While the motive remains unclear, experts warn the massacre may be tied to violent disputes over illegal mining.
12 dead and nine wounded
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said yesterday that about 10 gunmen entered the informal settlement on Tuesday night and started shooting at people randomly.
“Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while another man succumbed to his injuries in hospital,” she said.
“At least nine people were taken to various hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.”
Nevhuhulwi said the gunmen were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a petrol station in Cleveland and allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances, opening fire before fleeing in the same vehicle.
Witness Maluleke, senior criminologist at the University of Limpopo, said the link of the mass shooting to illegal mining cannot be overruled.
“The fight against illegal mining is not for the local police; the department of mineral resources and energy should be involved, together with the traditional leaders and community members,” said Maluleke.
Police alone cannot win illegal mining war
“The police alone cannot win this war. How can police confiscate illegal mining equipment if community members don’t provide information?”
Mike Bolhuis, an investigator specialising in serious violent, economic and cybercrime, said the shooting seems to be linked to illegal mining squabbles.
“It should not be difficult to find the lead here, especially if highly trained investigators can probe the matter,” said Bolhuis.
“The dead and the injured should be a focal point of the investigation, and that will establish who they are and who their enemies are.”
He said mass shootings and other related crimes could be prevented if there was a good relationship between police and community members.
Claire Taylor, from Gun Free South Africa, said the attack was one of the worst mass shootings in recent years.
Gun Free SA demanding recovery of illegal guns
“While questions are being asked about the motive behind this shooting, we must focus on the guns. Mass shootings, like all shootings, would not be possible without guns,” said Taylor.
“We must recover illegal guns circulating in our communities.”
Crime expert Willem Els said it was still early to speculate about the shooting, but he also suspected illegal mining squabbles.
“We do not have a tap on illegal mining in South Africa. They are the law,” he said.
“We do not see a lot of arrests. And if you see arrests, you don’t see that people are actually featured in court cases.
“So, we have to start to work on our intelligence service. We have to infiltrate these networks. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to put a curb on that.”