Is Gauteng slipping deeper into lawlessness linked to organised crime? This is the question facing the province following the deaths of twelve people killed in a mass shooting at Cleveland’s Jumpers informal settlement on Tuesday night.
The incident has prompted the Gauteng Legislature's Portfolio Committee on Community Safety to condemn it, as well as stern warnings from RISE Mzansi that the city is under siege by organised crime.
Police have launched a massive manhunt after more than 10 heavily armed gunmen allegedly stormed the settlement on Tuesday night, opening fire at multiple locations before fleeing in a white Toyota Quantum. The incident, in which nine others were also wounded, was one of the deadliest attacks to hit Johannesburg this year.
Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while a twelfth victim later died in the hospital. Police said the attackers moved through the settlement firing on residents.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni, who visited the scene on Wednesday, described the attack as “heartless” and "barbaric."
