Zama Zama Shootout: Gauteng Netizens Demand KZN Commissioner’s Help in Crime Crackdown

• Many netizens have called on KwaZulu-Natal’s Police Commissioner to step in and assist Gauteng to crack down on criminals
• The social media users were reacting to the arrest of a gang of zama zamas who allegedly shot at law enforcement officials
• Gauteng Safety MEC Faith Mazibuko said the group was nabbed at the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement in Reiger Park, Boksburg

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered crime and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

Some social media users have called for KwaZulu-Natal’s Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, to be brought in to crack down on criminality in Gauteng.

The netizens were reacting to the recent arrest of a gang of illegal miners at the Joe Slovo Informal Settlement in Reiger Park, Boksburg.

Read also

MK Party informs Parliament: Jabulani Khumalo not to be sworn in as MP

Zama zamas shot at law enforcement officers

Gauteng’s Community Safety MEC @FaithMazibukoSA said the posse allegedly shot at police officers and Gauteng Traffic Wardens on 4 June 2024:

Mazibuko added that the 7 June 2024 arrests were a result of authorities spending sleepless nights tracking the group down.

Gauteng netizens call for KZN Commissioner’s assistance

Many social media users called for stricter action against the perpetrators, with some suggesting that KZN’s Police Commissioner, Lt-Gen Mkhwanazi, was the answer to Gauteng's crime scourge.

@Phuphulenyon said:

“Lol, something weak about cops in Joburg going north hayi cause if it were KZN or Western Cape, those would be body bags.”

@Vuyo40049555 suggested:

“Bring back capital punishment.”

@enetob wondered:

“So they had to first shoot SAPS members, then you do serious manhunting?”

Read also

Secunda blaze: Malicious damage to property as 4 cars engulfed in flames

@against_biased commented:

“You should have asked Mkhwanazi to lend you KZN officers for a couple of days.”

@MokoenaSphiwe suggested:

“Unleash KZN SAPS on them; no one must raise a firearm against the police.”

Zama zamas' gold-digging chemicals a threat to tourists

Briefly News previously reported that the rise of illegal mining in Mpumalanga is becoming highly dangerous to both the tourism and agriculture sectors.

According to authorities, the chemicals used to harvest and divert gold include mercury, cyanide and e-coli, which pose a significant risk to surrounding communities.

A chief in Matibidi told Briefly News that cattle in the area adjacent to Pilgrims' Rest were dying from drinking water in streams and rivers supplied by the Blyde River.

Source: Briefly News