ACTING NATIONAL COMMISSIONER CONDEMNS BENONI KILLINGS

Monday, 06 March 2017: The Acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, Lieutenant General Khomotso Phahlane, condemns in the strongest terms the senseless murder of fourteen people whose bodies were found in Benoni, Gauteng over the past two days.
Initially, police discovered six bodies with apparent gunshot wounds near a railway line on Sunday, 5 March 2017 following a tip-off from a member of the community.
Today, eight more bodies were discovered in the same area.
The discovery of these bodies comes at a time when generals from all levels within the South African Police Service have gathered for two days at a strategic session in Mpumalanga, deliberating on operational interventions and measures to further reduce the incidents of crime in affected areas of our country.
Amongst other issues, the proliferation of firearms in the country is under discussion, following the announcement made by the Minister of Police, Mr Nkosinathi Nhleko, of a firearm amnesty period which begins on the 1st of April 2017.
“The Provincial Commissioner of Gauteng, Lieutenant General Deliwe de Lange and her management team are overseeing the investigation into these murders. We will wait for the investigation to advance and the victims to be identified before speculating on a motive. Communities can be assured that the South African Police Service remains committed to further reducing the levels of serious crime and we are presently focusing on refining our crime prevention and combating operational plans,” said the Acting National Commissioner.