CAPE TOWN – At least 43 people have been fatally wounded in mass shootings across South Africa this week, with 31 killed in the latest incidents in Khayelitsha, Lwandle and Wedela on the West Rand this morning.

Earlier this week 12 people were killed in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban.

Yesterday (Saturday) four men were shot dead in Site C, Khayelitsha. Last night, 17 people killed and 15 injured in deadly tavern shooting in Wedela on the West Rand. In the early hours of this morning, 10 people were shot and killed at an entertainment venue in Lwandle near Strand.

JP Smith, Mayco member for safety and security, said the spate of violent crimes and murders amounted to a national crisis.

“This crisis has been given the oxygen to flourish due to prolonged national policing failures, and now course-correcting at this point will be extremely difficult, but urgent reform is needed to combat this through better detection methods, increased use of crime intelligence and having secure methods for communities to report threats safely,” he said.

Smith said the syndicates responsible must be found, convicted and removed from society.

“Nationally, the criminal justice system must act to stop this. They cannot ignore this threat any longer,” he said.

He said the City’s senior management had reached out to provincial police management to offer assistance from its Safety and Security investigations and information management services.

“We will avail any other support they require in terms of technology and additional resources,” he said.

Smith expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and said he hoped justice would be served.

He urged anyone with information to notify police or contact the City’s anonymous tip-off line on 0800 1100 77.

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