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Gunmen entered an informal settlement near Johannesburg and killed 12 people overnight, according to South African police. This incident marks one of the recent mass shootings in a country plagued by crime. The attack occurred before midnight Tuesday in an impoverished area filled with metal shacks, close to where illegal miners reside. Approximately ten attackers traveled to the Jumpers settlement in a vehicle, were dropped off, then stormed the area, opening fire on residents at multiple spots before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that 12 individuals lost their lives in the attack—eight men and three women died at the scene, while one succumbed in the hospital. The incident took place roughly six kilometers east of downtown Johannesburg, near an abandoned gold mine. South Africa suffers from widespread firearm violence, fueled by gang rivalries and conflicts among informal businesses.
Authorities have yet to determine a clear motive, and no arrests have been made. However, there is suspicion that the violence was tied to competition over illegal mining activities nearby. The provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni, described the attack as “insanely brutal and heartless,” emphasizing the proximity to legal mining zones.
Illegal artisanal mining draws people from across southern Africa and is linked to organized crime, including shootings, extortion, and other illegal activities. These miners, known as “zama zamas”—meaning “those who try” in Zulu—operate in deep, abandoned shafts deep within Johannesburg’s surrounding townships, driven by poverty and unemployment. In December, a similar violent episode occurred when nine people were killed at a bar in Bekkersdal during a conflict between rival illegal mining gangs.
The government has responded by deploying soldiers to violence-hotspot areas in Johannesburg, aiming to curb the rampant crime that President Cyril Ramaphosa has flagged as a major national threat.
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