By Everson Luhanga
North West police have arrested six suspects who shot and killed 13 people over the weekend in two separate – and very different – incidents.
In Kanana township near Klerksdorp, police said intruders switched off the lights in a tavern on Friday night and began shooting at random. Eight people were killed and 13 others were injured. Police have arrested four suspects aged between 24 and 38.
North West provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone said it was a multi-disciplinary team comprising different special units that arrested the suspects.
They were all Lesotho nationals, aged between 24 and 38, in Klerksdorp and in Kanana.
“During the arrests, the team seized a Toyota Hilux double cab bakkie and more than 82 rounds of ammunition of different calibres.
“The suspects are expected to appear in the Orkney Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 30 July, facing eight counts of murder, 13 of attempted murder and of unlawful possession of ammunition.”
In another shooting incident, four men and a woman were shot in their heads as they were walking in Freedom Park informal settlement outside Rustenburg on Saturday night. Police found their bodies along the road.
They arrested two suspects, both aged 30, for the murder of the five people who were found with gunshot wounds to the head.
Mokgwabone said the two 30-year-olds were detained in connection with the murders. “One of the suspects, who is a taxi driver, allegedly gave the taxi (a Toyota Quantum) to his friend,” he said.
“The taxi was used during the commission of the crime. After the incident, the taxi driver allegedly removed the vehicle from the scene. He failed to report the incident to the police or the owner.”
Mokgwabone said the police are still working to ensure the arrest of outstanding suspects.
North West provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Sello Kwena, commended all members of the respective teams for their dedication and relentless efforts to ensure the arrest of suspects within a short time after the ruthless incidents were reported.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Bafokeng Magistrate’s Court in Tlhabane on Tuesday 30 July, facing five counts of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Pictured above: Police crime scene.
Source: File
