A gang of men armed with rifles and 9mm pistols entered an Orlanda East tavern during the early hours of Sunday and allegedly opened fire on unsuspecting patrons.
The 14 patrons who were shot dead at Mdlalose’s tavern in Orlando East, Soweto, in the early hours of Sunday were all above the age of 18, Gauteng premier David Makhura confirmed.
The murder rate increased by 45.2%, meaning that 437 more people were killed compared to the same time during the previous year while 966 were killed in 2020, before the Covid-19 lockdown was effected.
Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela has likened the first quarter of the year to a "season of discontent" featuring 556 protests, an escalation from the same time last year.