By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Rand West City Local Municipality has called on president Cyril Ramaphosa to consider deploying the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to Bekkersdal and other affected areas to support SA Police Services (SAPS) in combating crime linked to illegal mining.
The municipality was established by the amalgamation of the Randfontein and Westonaria (Bekkersdal) Local Municipalities in August 2016.
Surrounded by abandoned mine shafts, the Bekkerdal is notorious for illicit mining operations, which have led to serious social problems, including gang violence and the proliferation of illegal firearms.
The call comes after a mass shooting in Bekkersdal, that left nine people dead, 10 injured in the early hours of Sunday morning, (21 December 2025).
According to police, about 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi and a silver sedan opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene.
Gauteng deputy commissioner Fred Kekana told Fullview earlier that five of the deceased victims were in the tavern and three were in the street. The fourth was an e-hailing driver.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Sixty-three people were killed every day on average between April and September this year, according to police figures.
The municipality said the shooting was not “an isolated occurrence”.
It said a similar shooting occurred earlier this year, which highlighted a “disturbing surge” in violent crime in the area.
“This escalation is closely linked to the activities of illegal miners, commonly known as zama zamas, who continue to terrorise the community,” the municipality claimed.
Deputy mayor Nontombi Molatlhegi said that locals were afraid of speaking out and identifying those responsible.
She said that the police were under-resourced, and too thinly spread, and called for the military to get involved in protecting residents.
“We are crying, as well as the city political leadership, for the intervention of the national government to release [the army] so that they can be able to come in this space” and be visible.
Acting Gauteng premier Jacob Mamabolo said: “Our hearts are heavy, and we convey our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased. We also wish a full and speedy recovery to those who are injured.”
Mamabolo condemned a “dangerous trend of armed criminals showing blatant disregard for human life by attacking people in places of leisure”, which was a “grave concern for every resident of Gauteng”.
The provincial government would provide “all necessary support” to the police in their hunt for the suspects.
According to the latest crime statistics, between July and September there were 191 victims in Gauteng related to multiple murders. They include 51 murders that had two victims and 17 with three victims. There were four multiple murders with four victims each, and one mass murder which had 11 victims.