JOHANNESBURG - Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni has described the murder of 12 people at Jumpers Informal Settlement in Cleveland, Johannesburg, as “heartless” and “barbaric”.
The provincial police boss visited the area on Wednesday morning to assess the damage and announce police interventions following the shooting, which left nine other people wounded.
While police have not yet determined the motive for the attack, Mthombeni said there is suspicion that the incident may be linked to rampant illegal mining in the area.
"We can term this incident to be heartless, and to a high extent, barbaric," Mthombeni said.
It is alleged that more than 10 heavily armed men were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum just after 8pm. They allegedly entered the informal settlement, opening fire on residents at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle.
The attack comes three weeks after Mthombeni led an intelligence-driven operation in the area. During the operation, police recovered large caches of ammunition and arrested three people.
"It is a worrying factor that we find ourselves back here today, but we have not lost the fight against illegal mining. It is really a problem in this area, but with disruptive operations, we are in a position to put a halt to it.
"Currently, we cannot, however, confirm that this incident is linked to illegal mining," he said.
Andy Mashaile, security strategist, said from his assessment, there would have been a lot of pre-planning before the attack.
"It tells you there was surveillance done days, if not weeks before. There was proper coordination and resources organised. It sounds that there was a command and control structure from the cordoning of the area by blocking the entrance and exits and shooting from that angle. The probability is highly that it is a contested terrain between the illicit mining gangs. This is aimed at instilling fear for the other gang."