EFF Tshwane statement on Jukulyn mass shooting in Soshanguve
14 June 2023
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Tshwane is saddened by the mass shooting incident in Jukulyn, Soshanguve which left 15 people wounded after a gunman stormed a tavern and opened fire on unsuspecting patrons inside the property.
Tshwane residents cannot forget the Soshanguve mass shooting of May 2022, which left 2 people dead and others injured. Residents cannot forget the mass shooting of July 2022 in Garankuwa, which left 2 dead and 7 injured. The question we have to ask ourselves is who is next in Winterveld, Mabopane, Hammanskraal, Atteridgeville, Mamelodi and Ekangala.
The prevalence of mass shootings in our city is increasing at an alarming rate, yet the DA-led Tshwane Municipality is doing nothing about it. Undeniably, Tshwane is fast becoming a war zone characterized by gun-toting criminals unleashing violence on innocent civilians.
Tshwane EFF is calling on the minister of Police to conduct a special investigation into mass shootings in Tshwane municipality. The uncontrollable state of crime resulting in police stations in Akasia, Temba, Brooklyn, Pretoria Central and Sunnyside occupying top spots in the 30 crime-plagued areas is dreadful.
The EFF in Tshwane has on record called for the installation of closed circuit television (CCTV) to assist in the fight against crime in Tshwane areas. This is crucial to ensure that video evidence is available to assist in speedy prosecutions of criminals apprehended committing crimes against members of the community.
The distinction in the vulnerability of criminal attacks between suburban and township communities lies in the disparities that exist pertaining to advanced technological systems of safety and security dominated by the CCTV. While suburban residents in their opulence install CCTV systems at a click of a button, the safety of township residents remains a wishful imagination of an inefficient and incapabable police force.
The predicament of crime in the township is fuelled by the invisibility of the police force, which never shows up to execute competent and ethical duties of policing, rather than to collect the proceeds of malfeasance while residents are suffering at the hands of criminals.
The identity of most criminals terrorizing communities is an open book to the police, yet police remain reluctant to arrest the perpetrators of violent crimes.
The EFF is Tshwane will continue to champion the fight against crime to ensure the safety and well-being of our residents. In the face of a corrupt and ineffective police force, we have nothing but ourselves to push back against the scourge of crime and violence that has crippled society. Tshwane EFF demands decisive action by the DA-led administration and the police force of the ANC to prevent further mass shootings in our city.
Issued by Obakeng Ramabodu, Regional Chairperson, 14 June 2023
