Two African National Congress Youth League members were killed and five other people were injured when a gunman opened fire on mourners in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni.
The victims were returning from a memorial service for ANC branch chairperson Jeanette Magugu, who was gunned down last week.
The shooting happened at about 18:50 on Tuesday on Sophangisa Street in Katlehong North. The group consisted mainly of ANCYL members who were returning from the memorial service at Mogobeng Primary School.
The two people who died were men aged 21 and 23. The five injured victims were aged between 11 and 27 and included an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old child.
The suspected gunman has handed himself over to police and is in custody.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that a suspect had surrendered after the shooting. Police opened a docket containing charges of murder and attempted murder, and the case was assigned to the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team.
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain under investigation.
The uncle of the 11-year-old girl, Mildred Mkhonto, said she had left home shortly after 17:00 to buy sweets when she was caught up in the shooting.
“Onlookers told me that as she walked past ANCYL members who were chanting slogans, a car stopped near them and the driver opened fire at the group,” said Given Mkhonto.
“My niece was struck in the back while attempting to run away from the bullets.”
Mkhonto said his niece was taken to hospital for treatment.
Sources at the scene said the shooter was inside a vehicle when he opened fire on the group. Some victims were reportedly struck in the head, although police had not released further details about the injuries.
After the shooting, the suspect allegedly abandoned his vehicle and walked to a police station to hand himself over. The vehicle was left at the scene while forensic investigators examined the area for evidence.
By 22:00 on Tuesday, forensic investigators were still working at the scene as onlookers watched from a distance. Police were collecting evidence and establishing what happened before, during and after the attack.
Ekurhuleni mayor and ANC regional chairperson Doctor Xhakaza said the memorial service for Magugu had taken place at Mogobeng Primary School.
“This is a sad day. Families of some of the victims haven’t been notified. As the region, we need prayers and [we] need to remove illegal guns from our society.”
Xhakaza said the alleged shooter was known, but urged people not to draw conclusions about the motive or political affiliation of the suspect before the investigation was complete.
“The perpetrator is known, and we don’t want to be political about it and his affiliation. What hurts us is that the victims were still mourning their comrade, Magugu, who was brutally murdered,” Xhakaza said.
“One of the deceased was an ANCYL branch leader. We don’t want to interpret this as a political killing. For now, the person who caused this … has handed himself over and will have to face the music.”
The shooting happened while ANC members and supporters were mourning Magugu, an ANC branch chairperson who was killed last week. Her death had brought party members together for the memorial service before the group was attacked on its way back.
The Gauteng Political Killings Task Team will investigate the case. The team’s involvement means detectives will examine the shooting alongside the circumstances that led to the attack and whether the victims were deliberately targeted.
Police have not announced a motive. The suspect’s surrender means investigators will be able to question him as part of the investigation, while forensic evidence from the scene and the abandoned vehicle will also be examined.
The five injured victims were taken to hospital. Their ages ranged from 11 to 27, and the presence of two children among those wounded has added to concern about the attack in a residential area.
The shooting took place in the street as mourners were chanting ANC Youth League slogans. Witnesses described a vehicle stopping near the group before shots were fired.
The two men who died were identified by police only by their ages. Their families were being notified as the crime scene investigation continued.
Xhakaza said some families had not yet been informed about the deaths by the time he spoke about the attack. Police and community leaders were working to confirm the identities of the victims and provide information to their relatives.
The attack has also renewed calls for illegal firearms to be removed from communities. Xhakaza urged people to support efforts to prevent further shootings and to allow investigators to establish exactly what happened.
The case includes two murder charges for the people who died and five attempted-murder charges for those who survived the shooting. The suspect is expected to face the charges in court after the police investigation and processing are completed.
The charges remain allegations and will be tested through the criminal justice process. The suspect is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds him guilty.
The Gauteng Political Killings Task Team is expected to interview witnesses, examine the vehicle allegedly abandoned at the scene and assess forensic evidence recovered from Sophangisa Street.
Investigators will also establish whether the suspect acted alone and whether anyone else was involved in planning or carrying out the attack. Police have not announced any further arrests.
Forensic investigators remained at the scene late on Tuesday night, while officers continued gathering evidence. The investigation is expected to include statements from mourners, residents and people who were near the road when the shooting happened.
The memorial service for Magugu had been intended to give ANC members an opportunity to remember a branch chairperson who was killed a week earlier. Instead, the gathering was followed by another deadly shooting involving people returning from the service.
The deaths of the two ANCYL members and the injuries to five others have left the families of the victims waiting for answers as the police investigation continues.
A suspect is in custody, and the case has been assigned to the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team. Police are investigating the motive, the events leading up to the shooting and the possible involvement of other suspects.