Eleven suspects arrested over deadly South African tavern shooting

In connection with Sunday’s shooting at a tavern that left 10 people dead, police in South Africa claim to have made 11 arrests, many of whom are thought to be undocumented miners.

After police and security stormed two homes outside of Johannesburg on Wednesday, nine Lesotho residents and one Mozambican were among the people who were detained.

In the shooting on Sunday, ten people were hurt when a group of gunmen took aim at a tavern in the township of Bekkersdal with a minibus and a car. In recent years, there have been numerous mass shootings at bars in South Africa, some of which are called shebeens or taverns.

Four handguns and an AK-47 rifle were discovered among the suspects’ unlicensed firearms, according to police.

At the shooting site in Bekkersdal, police reported to reporters that they had discovered live ammunition and cartridges of the “same type” of firearms. To find out if they had been used in the shooting, they were sent for testing.

A mine employee in South Africa is also being detained on suspicion of obstructing justice and harboring undocumented tenants.

Nonesi Matwa, the owner of the pub, was charged with operating an illegal liquor store and fraud on Tuesday, according to local media.

The owner’s family informed the media that Matwa had unfairly been targeted.

They claimed that she was not to blame for the violence and that she had simply “pulled the trigger” on the patrons.

Townships west of Johannesburg, like Bekkersdal, are renowned for their illegal mining operations, which have resulted in gang violence and the proliferation of illegal weapons.

Undocumented miners known as “zama-zamas” have continued to operate in areas where the mining industry once flourished. Migrants who enter Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique are thought to be largely responsible for the trade.