South African activists have called on the authorities to crackdown on powerful organised gangs armed with military-grade weapons. These gangs have been responsible for a spate of deadly attacks in the country.
Cops are on the hunt for suspected gang members who shot and killed 15 people in a tavern near capital city Johannesburg. An assault rifle and a 9mm pistol were used in the attack. The violent attack was a one among many such incidents that have happened in the near past. The weekend witnessed seven other people being killed in gun-related violence in the country.
The Guardian quoted Adèle Kirsten, the director of Gun Free South Africa, who said she hoped the violence would be a turning point. “We should horrified, outraged. Twenty-three people are shot and killed every day in South Africa and it goes unnoticed. That is wrong and this should draw attention to how many people are dying,” she said.
In another incident of shooting on Saturday at a tavern on the outskirts of the south-eastern city of Pietermaritzburg, saw four people killed and eight injured. The Guardian quoted the local mayor, Mzimkhulu Thebolla saying the assault was over very quickly without any robbery, conversation or fight. “Every week we get news of people that have just been shot at randomly,” the mayor said.
A legacy of the brutal, oppressive and racist apartheid regime, South Africa has for long been witnessing violent crime. Killings with guns have been rising yearly for over a decade.
