Johannesburg - The Gauteng Liquor Forum (GLF) will on Thursday hold a candlelight vigil in memory of the victims of the recent tavern shootings.
The forum said the service that commemorates the lives lost will take place in Orlando East from noon to 1pm. The GLF added that the vigil will also draw attention to the “senseless and cowardly” tavern shootings that have taken place in the retail alcohol industry.
“We are referring specifically to the massacre of patrons at Walters Place in Vlakfontein, in which six people were shot and five died. In Tshepisong, nine people were shot, and six killed as a result of an attack. In Freedom Park, four individuals were shot, resulting in two fatalities. In Katlehong, six people were shot, and two killed. Recently, in Orlando, 20 people were shot in a tavern, of which 16 died. Another two individuals were shot, and one person killed in Lenasia. The most recent senseless killing of patrons reportedly occurred in Ga-Rankuwa, where two people were shot to death and seven others were injured by unknown suspects,” said the GLF’s Fanny Mokoena.
According to the forum, the families of victims of the Katlehong shooting have been invited to the vigil.
The GLF said it believes that unknown assailants were targeting taverns and retail liquor outlets, primarily in townships, and randomly shooting defenceless patrons with automatic weapons, easily overpowering any form of security that may be reasonably in place at these taverns.
“Not only are these murders raising questions about safety and security in taverns, but also within society as a whole. While the focus is currently on taverns and liquor stores, which we condemn in the strongest terms possible, it is entirely possible that tomorrow, the focus may shift to crèches or ECD centres, or parks where members of society and their families gather for recreational purposes,” Mokoena said.
The GLF called on the police minister, the state security minister and the community safety MEC to work together to secure communities.
“We urgently call on all security agencies to collaborate with organised liquor traders’ associations to adopt a plan of action, not only for the pursuit and prosecution of these murderers, but also for the eradication of crime in our townships and communities,” Mokoena added.
The Star