Ekurhuleni mayor and MMC of finance Nkululeko Dunga, said gun violence shows that government is losing control over law enforcement and safety.
“This situations allows criminals to act with impunity, showing no fear of being held accountable of their actions,” he said in statement.
Political parties have called on stringent measures to be put in place to fight crime following the deadly Braamfontein shooting that claimed the life of a student and two men, after unknown gunmen opened fire on a BMW vehicle that was parked in Braamfontein.
The 18-year-old and second-year University of Johannesburg student, was killed in a crossfire while travelling on a bus from the university to their residences in the Johannesburg City Centre.
The motive of the shooting is still not known, however, police suspect that it was related to taxi violence. No arrests have been made.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, criminal and policing expert, Calvin Rafadi, said it was worrying how every place in the country has turned into a crime scene.
“On the scene, we have cameras that are controlled by the metro police but what does their data say, because they said they have cameras all over the place and by now, they should have seen the shooters and where they ran to,” said Rafadi.
Rafadi emphasised the importance of reviving a structure of informants on the grounds.
“Crime intelligence is missing in action and they should be proactive. But another issue here is that informants come up with good information, they infiltrate criminals and are only rewarded with R3,000, they need to sort out this issue, they have contaminated it, especially when it comes to the informants structure.
“We were promised that drones will be flying all over the place and e-panic buttons... We need to go back to the drawing board where police are proactive and they only time they can be proactive is to get information from community members and informants,” he said.
Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg, Margaret Arnolds, said the shooting reflects the moral and ethical erosion of our society, where people can dare to engage in a shooting spree in broad daylight.
Arnolds likened the shooting with the January incident where gunmen opened fire at a crowded charity drive hosted by a local community centre, wounding ANC councillor Sithembiso Zungu, and killing Rand Water Executive, Tebogo Joala.
Arnolds said she believes that such behaviour had no place in society and called on police to act fast in combating such acts of violence.
Meanwhile, Ekurhuleni mayor and MMC of finance Nkululeko Dunga, said the use of gun violence to resolve issues reflects a broader issue in the country.
“The State is losing control over law enforcement and safety. This situations allows criminals to act with impunity, showing no fear of being held accountable of their actions,” he said in statement.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said investigations were ongoing, with murder and attempted murder cases opened.
No arrests have been made yet.
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