On his arrival, Makhura's motorcade was temporarily blocked by angry residents and he could not gain immediate entry.
Makhura, who spoke to journalists before Cele’s arrival, said: “This is a localised gang basically ... that has moved from one section to another, they have been terrorising this community.”
Probed on why it took people’s lives to apprehend the gang, Makhura said this would be addressed in a meeting with stakeholders. He partially attributed the failure to arrest the criminals to a shortage of resources, signalling more boots on the ground were needed. “The provincial commissioner is going to take action.”
Makhura hailed Alex residents for co-operating with law enforcement officials.
LISTEN | Seven SA men, aged 23-33, arrested over Alex shooting spree, death toll rises to six
Image: Lirandzu Themba via Twitter
Seven suspects have been held over a shooting spree in Alexandra which resulted in the deaths of six people.
This is according to national police ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba, who said the suspects were apprehended on Friday. They were found with firearms, ammunition and cellphones.
“All the suspects are SA nationals residing in #Alexandra aged between 23 and 33 years,” she said.
The death toll rose to six after one of the wounded died in hospital.
The arrests come as premier David Makhura visited the northern Johannesburg township with police minister Bheki Cele.
Cele said that the motive appeared to be robbery.
On his arrival, Makhura's motorcade was temporarily blocked by angry residents and he could not gain immediate entry.
Makhura, who spoke to journalists before Cele’s arrival, said: “This is a localised gang basically ... that has moved from one section to another, they have been terrorising this community.”
Probed on why it took people’s lives to apprehend the gang, Makhura said this would be addressed in a meeting with stakeholders. He partially attributed the failure to arrest the criminals to a shortage of resources, signalling more boots on the ground were needed. “The provincial commissioner is going to take action.”
Makhura hailed Alex residents for co-operating with law enforcement officials.
Before the arrests, he said: “The people of Alexandra have been collaborating with the police, they have passed on information. That’s why I am saying we will not leave here today until the suspects are arrested.”
Makhura vowed that the provincial government would focus on ensuring additional resources were provided for policing in Gauteng, not just to respond to what had happened in Alexandra.
This, according to Makhura, would intensify crime-prevention efforts.
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