Eleven suspects arrested over deadly South African tavern shooting

Police said the suspects arrested were recovered with unlicensed firearms, including 4 handguns and an AK-47 rifle.

Police successful South Africa accidental they person arrested 11 people, including galore suspected of being undocumented miners, successful transportation with Sunday’s shooting astatine a tavern that killed 10 people.

Nine citizens of Lesotho and 1 Mozambican were among those arrested connected Wednesday aft constabulary and information stormed 2 houses extracurricular Johannesburg.

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Ten others were wounded successful Sunday’s shooting successful which astir a twelve gunmen successful a minibus and a car targeted a tavern successful the township of Bekkersdal. There person been several wide shootings astatine bars – sometimes called shebeens oregon taverns successful South Africa – successful caller years.

Police said the suspects arrested were recovered with unlicensed firearms, including 4 handguns and an AK-47 rifle.

Fred Kekana, acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, told reporters that constabulary had recovered cartridges and unrecorded ammunition of the “same type” of firearms astatine the shooting country successful Bekkersdal. They were sent for investigating to find if they were utilized successful the shooting.

Authorities besides arrested a South African excavation worker who faces charges related to harbouring undocumented tenants and obstructing justice.

On Tuesday, the pub’s owner, Nonesi Matwa, was charged with fraud and operating an amerciable liquor outlet, according to section media.

The owner’s household told the media that Matwa was being unfairly targeted.

They said that she was not liable for the violence, stating she was not the 1 who “pulled the trigger and killed the patrons”.

Surrounded by abandoned excavation shafts, townships westbound of Johannesburg, similar Bekkersdal, are notorious for illicit mining operations, which person led to problems including pack unit and the proliferation of amerciable firearms.

In areas wherever the mining manufacture erstwhile thrived, undocumented miners known arsenic “zama-zamas” person continued to operate. The commercialized is believed to beryllium predominantly controlled by migrants who participate without papers from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

With astir 26,000 homicides successful 2024, oregon much than 70 per time connected average, South Africa has 1 of the highest homicide rates successful the world. Firearms are by acold the starring origin of decease successful these killings. Although the federation of 62 cardinal radical has comparatively stringent weapon power laws, officials said galore killings are carried retired utilizing amerciable firearms.