Johannesburg Public Safety MMC Moshe Koma has strongly condemned a wave of targeted killings in the city centre, following two fatal shooting incidents involving Ethiopian nationals in the Johannesburg CBD over consecutive days.
The latest attack, which unfolded on Monday morning inside a McDonald restaurant on the corner of Jeppe and Small Streets, left three people dead just 24 hours after a separate fatal shooting at Rahima Moosa and Von Wielligh Streets on Sunday, April 26.
Koma described the incidents as brazen and deeply concerning, warning that such violence cannot be allowed to take hold in the city’s economic hub.
“The City of Johannesburg will not tolerate such targeted violence in our CBD or anywhere else. We urge anyone with information on these incidents to come forward and assist the police. Community safety remains a top priority, and we will continue to intensify operations to restore law and order in the inner city.”
The back-to-back killings have heightened fears of organised criminal activity, with early indications pointing to possible targeted hits.
In Sunday’s incident, CCTV footage shows three suspects actively searching for the victim before two entered a building passage and shot him at point-blank range. Less than a day later, two masked gunmen opened fire inside a McDonald restaurant, killing three men seated inside before fleeing the scene.
Law enforcement agencies have since ramped up operations, with Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department Tactical Response Unit and K9 units working alongside the South African Police Service in an intensified manhunt.
Authorities said the killings may be linked to a business-related dispute within the Ethiopian community or potentially connected to an ongoing kidnapping case before the courts.
While arrests have yet to be made, authorities said intelligence-driven operations are underway to track down those responsible.
The Star
