Mass assault suspected as nine men found dead in Roodepoort

Nine men were killed in an apparent assault incident on Friday afternoon at Matholesville in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg.

It is unclear what led to the incident or whether the victims were involved in illegal mining in the area but paramedics arrived on scene after 4pm to find bodies lying on Enock Sontonga Road.

“Medics assessed the men and found that eight had sustained numerous injuries and showed no signs of life. Nothing could be done for them and they were later declared dead,” said ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring.

“Two other men were found with several injuries and were in a critical condition.

“Medics treated the patients and provided the two men with advanced life support interventions. Once treated, the men were transported to nearby hospitals for urgent care. Unfortunately, at hospital, one of the critically injured patients succumbed to his injuries,” said Meiring.

ER24 said the men had been assaulted. Provincial police spokesperson Capt Mavela Masondo told TimesLIVE he was going to the scene.

Gauteng community safety MEC Faith Mazibuko visited Matholesville during an anti-crime operation on Thursday.

“We found a shack in Matholesville used for sifting sand in the gold illegal mining operations,” she said in a tweet.