Six people were shot dead and 18 others were injured on the R59 road in Meyerton, south of Johannesburg, on Tuesday afternoon when an Iveco maxi-bus they were travelling in was attacked.
According to the Gauteng deputy provincial police commissioner, Maj-Gen Fred Kekana, the vehicle was travelling from Johannesburg’s Park Station en route to Lesotho when the attack happened.
“Two occupants in a white vehicle shot at the kombi unprovoked. The driver of the kombi tried to avoid the vehicle and pushed the vehicle off the road,” Kekana said.
Six passengers from the kombi, four women and two men, were declared dead on the scene. According to Kekana, all six were Lesotho nationals, as were the 18 who were injured. The injured are receiving treatment at nearby health facilities.
Kekana said the shooters then abandoned their vehicle, and went on to hijack another one nearby and sped off.
Kekana said police investigations had established that the vehicle that the attackers were travelling in, a Nissan Juke, was reported stolen in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, in September last year.
Kekana said the hijacked vehicle was also recovered shortly after the incident, and all three suspects (two shooters and the driver) had been arrested after police mobilised drones and helicopters.
“I want to thank all the police stations, police units and the private security guards who responded swiftly and ensured that the suspects were arrested,” Kekana said.
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