Africa-Press – South-Africa. A witness, who was present when gunmen entered a Katlehong tavern, described how patrons hid under the tables, while others jumped over walls to get away from the danger.
During the incident, two people were killed and four injured.
It took place on Friday night at Mputlane’s Inn. Armed men entered the tavern and fired at patrons. The witness claimed the gunmen did not take anything, but left behind a trail of death and destruction.
As a result, the community was traumatised.
The owner of the tavern could not speak to News24 because she too emotional after the incident.
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However, the witness, who is related to the owner, detailed the harrowing experience of seeing men enter the tavern and mow people down.
“They just walked in and I suspected nothing until I heard the gunshots. I thought it was a robbery, but they never came inside the house for money,” the witness said, adding:
The witness said the floor was strewn with several cartridges on the floor.
“Most of the people were drinking inside when the suspects came in. They (gunmen) knew who they wanted to kill. They fired countless shots.”
According to the witness, the owner was having a hard time processing what happened.
“She is someone who takes prescription pills and she has also stopped eating or even taking the pills. She is still shocked about the incident.
“She has been crying since and we do not know how to ask how is she doing.”
The chairperson of the tavern owners in Katlehong, Paul Molefe, said it was unusual for people to walk inside taverns and shoot at patrons.
“It’s the first time such an incident has taken place in this tavern. Even when people have feuds, they end it in the streets. This shows that the people had a motive,” Molefe said.
“You hardly see police around this area and a month could pass without seeing a police presence.
“As tavern owners, the incident has really torn us because people are now scared to come over and drink.”
News24 spoke to some residents, but they said they were scared of speaking to the media. They said they feared being targeted as the gunmen may be living in the same vicinity.
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Molefe said it would be difficult to prevent such an event from happening again because CCTV cameras were expensive.
Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said police were investigating two cases of murder and four cases of attempted murder.
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