According to statistics, South Africa’s mass shootings seems to be increasing at an alarming rate, with an average of 23 people being shot and killed every day.
South Africa is said to have one of the highest crime rates in the world, according to authorities it is the illegal weapons that are in the hands of criminals that are a contributing factor.
People in less privileged communities live in fear, a community member stated that they do not feel safe in their own communities since shootings took place.
“We don’t feel safe because we don’t know if the people responsible for the shooting are still in our township or not. We’re not safe, we can’t walk in the street or even go to the shops without feeling nervous. We are afraid because these people could still be here with us”, the community member said.
Another member of the community also spoke out pleading for government intervention.
“We’d like our government to go door to door and collect all the illegal firearms, and arrest those found with illegal firearms. They should work day and night and visit all the shacks and houses here because we often get mugged,” the man said.
South African police minister Bheki Cele visited affected communities and promised more police presence.
“We are going to try to increase police visibility in the streets of this place, we want to take them back, we want to saturate the streets here, it should be our police ruling the streets here and not the criminals,” said Cele.
Activists say that gun crimes in the country are part of an array of problems that the country faces, including corruption even in the police force.
People have taken to social media to weigh in on their views on the recent gun violence that the country has faced in recent days.
This is where we're at 😔#MassShooting pic.twitter.com/hbZImj93ze
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