Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan says gun violence throughout the country is escalating, and steps need to be taken to address the situation.
A drive-by shooting in Reiger Park, Boksburg, has left six people dead and three others injured, prompting the deployment of additional police officers to the area.
The Saturday night attack – one of several mass shootings reported across the country in recent weeks – has reignited public outcry over the proliferation of illegal firearms and the failure of law enforcement to stem the tide of violence.
National police commissioner General Fannie Masemola confirmed the reinforcements, while community leaders and criminologists warned that such killings are becoming disturbingly routine.
As families mourn and residents reel, questions mount about accountability, prevention, and the deeper crisis confronting South African communities.
Rural criminologist Dr Witness Maluleke said: “Cases of this nature are no longer surprising.”
Criminal law expert Cornelia van Graan said gun violence throughout the country is escalating, and steps need to be taken to address the situation.
Van Graan said crime prevention strategies and intelligence must be developed to prevent these crimes.
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‘Community traumatised’
DA Ekurhuleni councillor Izelle Senol has called on police to act swiftly to bring the perpetrators to justice. “This senseless act of violence has left our community devastated and traumatised,” she said.
Senol said the DA had raised concerns about the growing criminal activity in Reiger Park, “but the responses received have been insufficient, and it was clear the issue has not been taken seriously”.
ActionSA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Xolani Khumalo said the mass shooting is not an isolated incident.
“Communities are rightly asking why police cannot answer the critical question of who is supplying the weapons that continue to terrorise communities,” he said.
“Communities are facing an existential crisis, with the proliferation of unlicensed firearms at the centre of mass shootings from the Cape Flats to Ekurhuleni.”
Widespread violence
Just last month, two teenagers were killed and four others injured in Westbury, west of Joburg, when gunmen opened fire on youngsters on 21 October.
Over the weekend, another shooting incident, this time in Tshwane, saw the Pretoria Volunteer Emergency Service (PVES) respond to a report of a car accident involving multiple gunshot victims in the Menlyn/ Garsfontein area.
PVES founder Hugo Minnaar said their first unit was on scene within six minutes of the call. Minnaar said PVES members assisted on scene where one person was critically wounded and another was found to be fatally injured after their vehicle lost control outside a club and crashed through a fence.
