‘It cannot go on like this’: Political parties react to mass shootings

Political parties have condemned a series of mass shootings in South Africa that have claimed dozens of lives in recent days.

At least 18 people were killed at a tavern in Wedela, near Carletonville on Gauteng’s West Rand, over the weekend. In a separate incident, 10 people were killed at a shisanyama in Lwandle, near Strand in the Western Cape.

The shootings happened just days after 11 people were killed at a house in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, on 22 September. Three others were wounded in that attack.

POLITICAL PARTIES CONDEMN MASS SHOOTINGS IN SOUTH AFRICA

African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa said violence and criminality continue to affect communities across the country.

“This is the level of criminality that we must bring down. Our security forces are going to continue pulling out all stops. It cannot go on like this and the clear instruction to our security forces is that we must bring the levels of criminality and violence down,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa also said technology was being used to assist police in identifying suspects linked to the Wedela shooting.

[WATCH] ANC President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa condemns the recent mass shootings and says security forces have been instructed to intensify efforts to bring down violent crime, with technology already assisting police to identify suspects linked to recent attacks.#ANCInChurch… pic.twitter.com/Z8DJBqKDPz

— ANC – African National Congress (@MYANC) September 27, 2026

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said it was alarmed by what it described as an escalating wave of mass shootings and violent killings across South Africa.

The party said the situation could not be treated as normal and criticised what it described as a largely reactive policing approach.

“While communities bury their loved ones, the state continues to respond to mass killings after they have already occurred. The EFF rejects a policing model that is largely reactive, arriving at crime scenes to count bodies instead of preventing criminals from acquiring military-grade weapons, dismantling organised criminal networks and protecting vulnerable communities,” the party said.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said South Africans should not become accustomed to heavily armed criminals entering public spaces, killing people and escaping without facing consequences.

“These attacks demand more than manhunts after the bloodshed. South Africa needs strengthened Crime Intelligence capability that can penetrate criminal networks, identify threats and disrupt gangs, extortion networks and organised crime before they strike,” DA spokesperson on Police Lisa Schickerling said.

POLICE INVESTIGATIONS ONGOING

Police investigations into the three shootings are ongoing. In KwaMakhutha, police said the motive had not yet been confirmed, although a possible feud between rival groupings was being investigated.

In Lwandle, police said a multidisciplinary team had been established to investigate the shooting, with 11 people injured. No arrests had been made at the time of the latest police update.

Deux fusillades en Afrique du Sud font 27 morts

▪️À l’ouest de Johannesburg, des hommes armés d’AK-47 et de pistolets se sont approchés d’un petit bar dans la localité de Wedela et ont ouvert le feu.

▪️ La seconde attaque a eu lieu dans une boîte de nuit à Lwandle, près du… pic.twitter.com/FTaH2AwHVM

— Sputnik Afrique (@sputnik_afrique) September 27, 2026