Pretoria - An expert in public safety and security has said the gun violence which has transpired in recent days is a direct result of the government’s failure to control gun circulation.
Tshwane University of Technology's Professor Jacob Mofokeng was speaking to eNCA after nine alleged cash-in-transit robbers were shot and killed at a house in Sebokeng, Gauteng, on Thursday morning.
“People have always been complaining about the sound of firearms as well as automatic rifles across our communities ... we are failing in terms of the circulation of firearms in South Africa,” he said.
Mofokeng said the use of force by police members won’t solve the issue of gun proliferation.
“Police alone are unable to prevent the issue of gun circulation, it requires an integrated approach where all stakeholders within communities report crime incidents. It’s important to be more proactive than reactive, because when were are reactive, that’s when there are crossfires and innocent bystanders lose lives,” he said.
Mofokeng’s statement comes after two bystanders were killed and another wounded following a shootout between robbers and police during a cash-in-transit heist in Putfontein on the East Rand on Wednesday.
The robbers got away with an undisclosed amount of money.
In another recent incident, police in KwaZulu-Natal fatally shot five suspected drug dealers and recovered drugs, firearms and money, following an intelligence-driven operation in Durban on April 1.
According to national police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the men killed on Thursday are part of a syndicate linked to a spate of shootings and drug-related crimes in the city.
Meanwhile, Police Minister Bheki Cele has saluted police officers who fatally shot nine alleged cash-in-transit robbers at the house in Sebokeng.
Cele also appreciated community members for raising the alarm over the “suspicious” activities which were taking place at the premises, before police raided the house.
IOL