Lesotho nationals charged after Joburg mass shooting

Three people from Lesotho have been arrested and charged with murder after a mass shooting in Johannesburg earlier this month that left 13 people dead, prosecutors said on Thursday.

The suspects, aged between 26 and 34, were identified by some of the 14 survivors of the June 9 attack before being taken into custody, the National Prosecuting Authority said. Investigators believe the killings may be linked to turf battles among illegal miners operating around abandoned mine shafts near the city centre.

The attack took place in an informal settlement of wooden and metal shacks about six kilometres east of Johannesburg’s central business district, close to disused gold mines. Police said about 10 gunmen were dropped off at both entrances of the settlement late at night, opened fire as they moved through the area, and were later collected by a getaway vehicle.

Reports indicate the dead included men and women from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. One woman who died from her injuries was believed to be from Lesotho. The victims were among residents caught in one of the deadliest shootings in the area this year.

The case has once again put a spotlight on South Africa’s illegal mining crisis, where thousands of unregistered miners, known as Zama Zama’s, work in abandoned shafts under dangerous conditions. The sector has long been linked to organised crime, extortion and violent disputes over territory and control.