This after a mass shooting in Tshwane over the weekend and the murder of a witness of the Madlanga Commission.

“The…Portfolio Committee on Community Safety is gravely concerned by the escalating levels of gun violence that continue to turn communities across the province into everyday crime scenes.

“The recent mass shooting in Saulsville, Pretoria, is yet another tragic reminder of the urgent need to rid our streets of illegal firearms,” the committee said in a statement.

At least 11 people died during the mass shooting with 14 others injured.

“Even more distressing is the fact that among the deceased are three minors and women, whose lives were cut short in a senseless act of brutality. The committee conveys its heartfelt condolences to the affected families and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.

“This tragic incident highlights a deeply concerning trend in which illegal guns continue to circulate freely within communities, enabling deadly attacks that devastate families and compromise the safety of citizens.

“The committee views this event as a serious call for concern and reaffirms its commitment to intensifying efforts towards advocating for and achieving a gun-free Gauteng,” the statement said.

The committee expressed shock at the “disturbing development” where a witness in the Madlanga Commission was murdered on Friday.

“Reports indicate that an AK-47 automatic rifle was used in the attack, once again demonstrating how high-calibre weapons are being used to commit violent crimes with impunity.

“Witness D was gunned down outside his home, an incident that highlights the critical need to remove illegal firearms from our streets,” the statement read.

The committee called on law enforcement to ensure that “perpetrators behind these heinous crimes are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice”.

“The committee also urged community members to cooperate fully with the police to aid in the urgent arrest of the three suspects linked to the Saulsville shooting.

“The committee maintains that the proliferation of illegal firearms poses a grave threat to the safety and well-being of all people living in Gauteng.

“Only through strong partnerships between communities, law enforcement and government can we begin to dismantle the networks responsible for supplying and using these deadly weapons,” the statement concluded.

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“These deaths highlight the tragic consequences of long-standing criminal intelligence failings in the Western Cape, and they must be seen as a harsh wake-up call for the South African Police Service (SAPS). If there is to be any prospect of reducing gang violence in the Western Cape, proactive measures are needed to ensure that the SAPS in the province is properly resourced,” Thomas Walters, Democratic Alliance (DA) Western Cape Spokesperson on Police Oversight and Community Safety said in a statement on 5 November.

“Currently, the SAPS simply do not have enough resources to support its crime intelligence and investigative departments. The number of detectives in the Western Cape has steadily decreased in recent years, and as a result, most significant crimes remain unsolved. 77% of SAPS stations in the Western Cape experience staff shortages, while vacancy rates in some of the province’s most violent districts can reach 80%.”

Walters said that, “While the Western Cape Government has allocated resources to assist with visible policing capacity through the Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP), the fight against organised violent crime can only be won if the SAPS plays its part by improving investigative capacity and providing the resources required to take the fight to criminals.

“If the SAPS is unable to fulfil their mandate in the Western Cape, the national government must devolve power over policing to a capable provincial government that stands ready to prioritise safety in our communities.”

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The South African Police Service (SAPS) said through intelligence and meticulous detective work, the high calibre firearms were recovered on Thursday evening (17 October).

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the firearms were moved to another location after the killing of the Lusikisiki eighteen,” the SAPS said.

Two more suspects have been arrested after they were found to be in possession of these rifles. The pair was arrested in Flagstaff in the Eastern Cape.

The firearms have been taken in for ballistics testing to determine and confirm that they were indeed used in the commission of the crime and to also determine which other crime scenes can be linked to them.

The National Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola, earlier thanked South Africans “for the overwhelming support in providing information on the whereabouts of the wanted suspects in the Lusikisiki mass murders.”

Masemola confirmed that in less than 24 hours from the time the SAPS issued an alert on the wanted suspects, communities rallied together and informed police on their whereabouts, resulting in all four suspects in police custody.

In the early hours of Saturday 28 September, two homesteads in the same street in Lusikisiki, Gqeberha, were attacked, leaving an initial 17 dead and 6 injured. In the first homestead, four people were shot and killed, with no survivors. At the second homestead, there were nineteen people shot in two different houses, with thirteen killed. The six survivors include four women and a two-month-old baby.

However, on Sunday 29 September, police confirmed the 18th victim had died in hospital.

Community members revealed that the family had all gathered at the homestead to hold a ceremony, marking the end of a period of mourning for two family members killed in a separate shooting a year earlier.

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