Johannesburg – Eight people were found dead on Monday, in the same area where the bodies of six people were discovered over the weekend, Gauteng police said.
Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, condemns in the strongest terms the senseless murder of 14 people whose bodies were found in Benoni, Gauteng over the past two days.
“The Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Deliwe de Lange and her management team are overseeing the investigation into these murders. We will wait for the investigation to advance and the victims to be identified before speculating on a motive," Phahlane said in a statement.
"Communities can be assured that the South African Police Service remains committed to further reducing the levels of serious crime and we are presently focusing on refining our crime prevention and combating operational plans.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe said that police discovered the six bodies with apparent gunshot wounds near a railway line on Sunday. On Monday, eight more bodies were discovered in the same area.
"The discovery of these bodies comes at a time when generals from all levels within the South African Police Service have gathered for two days at a strategic session in Mpumalanga, deliberating on operational interventions and measures to further reduce the incidents of crime in affected areas of our country."
Mathe said another issue that would be discussed is the proliferation of firearms in the country after the announcement made by Police Minister, Nkosinathi Nhleko, of a firearm amnesty period. The period begins on April 1.
On Monday morning, Gauteng police said they working on establishing the identity of the six people found dead. All six, suspected to be illegal miners, had gunshot wounds on the upper body.
“It is suspected that the deceased were killed elsewhere and taken to where they were found as they were put in a pattern. It is also suspected that the deceased are illegal miners. The bodies are not yet identified, the motive for the killings is not yet known,” Gauteng police said on statement.