A group of women that were filming a music video in an abandoned mine dump were robbed of their electronic devices and repeatedly raped by men wearing blankets and balaclavas last week. About 80 undocumented suspects have been arrested since the incident but none is yet to be linked to the rapes.
• Last month, 16 people were killed and seven were injured when a group of men armed with AK-47s and pistols randomly opened fire at Mdlalose’s tavern in Nomzamo informal settlement in Orlando. The motive for the shooting is not yet known but it is suspected that one of the deceased was part of a gang of Lesotho nationals and he was the main target on the night of the shooting.
• In June, a group of armed men wearing blankets and balaclavas surrounded housing units in Purification Farm in the Rand West municipality demanding cash and electronic devices. Several people were injured and one house owner was shot and killed. More than 10 home owners have since abandoned their units fearing that they might be attacked again.
• In April, Pimville residents took to the streets after a car with Lesotho registration number plates opened fire on a group of residents that were marching against electricity cable theft in Chicken Farm informal settlement. One SA man was killed during the shooting. Two Lesotho nationals were arrested for murder. Additional police and resources were deployed to Pimville to curb simmering tensions between South Africans and undocumented foreign nationals.
• A Sibanye-Stillwater electrician was shot and killed when more than 150 illegal miners exchanged fire with mine security guards in Randfontein in June. Days before the shooting, electricity cables near the mine were stolen. The deceased was part of a team that was deployed to restore power in the area, but the group was pushed back by shooting illegal miners.
Timeline of recent gun violence incidents
A group of women that were filming a music video in an abandoned mine dump were robbed of their electronic devices and repeatedly raped by men wearing blankets and balaclavas last week. About 80 undocumented suspects have been arrested since the incident but none is yet to be linked to the rapes.
• Last month, 16 people were killed and seven were injured when a group of men armed with AK-47s and pistols randomly opened fire at Mdlalose’s tavern in Nomzamo informal settlement in Orlando. The motive for the shooting is not yet known but it is suspected that one of the deceased was part of a gang of Lesotho nationals and he was the main target on the night of the shooting.
• In June, a group of armed men wearing blankets and balaclavas surrounded housing units in Purification Farm in the Rand West municipality demanding cash and electronic devices. Several people were injured and one house owner was shot and killed. More than 10 home owners have since abandoned their units fearing that they might be attacked again.
• In April, Pimville residents took to the streets after a car with Lesotho registration number plates opened fire on a group of residents that were marching against electricity cable theft in Chicken Farm informal settlement. One SA man was killed during the shooting. Two Lesotho nationals were arrested for murder. Additional police and resources were deployed to Pimville to curb simmering tensions between South Africans and undocumented foreign nationals.
• A Sibanye-Stillwater electrician was shot and killed when more than 150 illegal miners exchanged fire with mine security guards in Randfontein in June. Days before the shooting, electricity cables near the mine were stolen. The deceased was part of a team that was deployed to restore power in the area, but the group was pushed back by shooting illegal miners.