Wedela zama zamas offer to identify alleged mass shooters as fear and threats of retaliation grip community

Illegal miners whose fellow zama zamas were among those killed in the Wedela mass shooting have offered to help police identify and arrest the alleged perpetrators.

The miners say they fear further violence in the area unless those responsible for the shooting are arrested.

The shooting near Carletonville on the West Rand on 26 September left 18 people dead and more than 10 injured, including women and children.

The attack has left residents frightened, with some families reportedly considering leaving the area after the violence.

[do_widget id=super_rss_reader-3] –> –> Several illegal miners who said they had information about the suspected attackers and the possible motive behind the shooting have urged police to speak to them.

However, the claims have not been independently confirmed, and police have not publicly endorsed the miners’ account of what led to the attack.

One miner said he and others were living in fear because several of the alleged attackers had not yet been arrested.

He also claimed that an alleged group leader had been arrested in Lesotho, but that information could not be independently confirmed.

“Remember, that man is a former soldier in the Lesotho Defence Force and is well known to many high-profile people, so it will be easy for him to walk free,” he said.

The miner said the group was prepared to cooperate with police and provide information that could assist the investigation.

“We know who they are and why they attacked us, but we are worried that they also killed community members,” he said.

“If the police can give us a chance to tell them what we know about the suspects, all of them will be arrested.

“But the police must promise us we will not be arrested during our interaction with them.”

The request reflects the difficult relationship between law-enforcement agencies and people involved in illegal mining.

The miners say they have information that could help solve the mass shooting, but they fear that approaching police could expose them to arrest because of their own alleged involvement in illegal mining activities.

The group claims the conflict involved rival groups of zama zamas operating around Wedela and Carletonville.

“We are from Lesotho and most of them are also from Lesotho. The reason we contacted you is that we are now living in fear and the community is also terrified,” the miner said.

He alleged that the two groups were working in separate areas and that the dispute began after one group allegedly tried to force the other out of its mining territory.

“The reason they attacked here is because we work in different groups. We are the Wedela group and they are based somewhere near Carletonville on the West Rand. The dispute started after they tried to force us out of the area where we had been mining.”

The claims point to a possible conflict over control of underground mining areas, but investigators have not confirmed a motive.

Illegal mining operations often take place in abandoned or disused mine workings and can involve groups competing for access to gold-bearing areas, equipment, supplies and routes in and out of the underground workings.

Those conditions can create disputes that are difficult for police to investigate because witnesses may fear arrest or retaliation.

The miner said similar incidents had occurred in Wedela before, but that the number of people killed in the latest shooting had heightened concern.

Another zama zama said seven of their members were among those killed in the attack.

He called on police to engage with the miners before further violence erupted.

“We are not scared of them, but our worry is that they injured innocent people,” he said.

He claimed that the rival group had more money and could bribe officials, making it difficult for the miners to seek justice.

That allegation has not been independently verified.

The miner warned that delays in arresting the alleged perpetrators could lead to retaliation.

“If the police delay arresting them, we will be obliged to retaliate,” he said.

“Our wish is that they must be detained in South Africa because we believe they crossed the border into Lesotho after carrying out these attacks.”

The warning has raised fears that the original shooting could be followed by revenge attacks, especially if rival groups believe that the police investigation is not moving quickly enough.

Any retaliation could place residents, tavern patrons and other people with no connection to the dispute at further risk.

During a visit to Wedela, blood was still visible on a street near the tavern where the shooting took place.

Bullet holes were also visible at a house opposite the tavern, underscoring the extent of the gunfire during the attack.

The physical evidence has left the area traumatised. Residents are still trying to understand how a night at a local tavern ended with 18 deaths and more than 10 people injured.

A woman in the community said her family no longer felt safe and that she was preparing to relocate.

“It is not the first time killings have happened here, but this time it is too much. I have already rented a room in a neighbouring township,” she said.

Her decision reflects the wider fear in the community, where residents may be caught between rival groups, criminal violence and the threat of further attacks.

The mass shooting took place at a tavern in Extension 3, Wedela, at about 21:30 on Saturday, 26 September.

Police launched a manhunt for unidentified armed suspects after the attack. The investigation has included a second crime scene believed to be linked to the shooting.

The death toll later rose to 18 after another victim died from injuries in hospital.

More than 10 people were injured, and the victims included women and children as well as men.

Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi declined to elaborate on the investigation or comment in detail on the miners’ offer to cooperate.

She would only say: “It would jeopardise the investigation.”

The police response means that the miners’ claims remain allegations rather than confirmed findings.

Investigators will need to test the accounts against ballistic evidence, witness statements, CCTV footage, cellphone records and information from the various crime scenes.

They will also have to establish the identities of the attackers, determine whether the people responsible were connected to an illegal mining group and clarify whether the shooting was linked to a territorial dispute.

The allegation that a suspected group leader is in Lesotho will also need to be verified through official channels.

If investigators identify suspects outside South Africa, any arrest and extradition process would depend on cooperation between the relevant authorities.

The miners’ request for protection raises another challenge for the investigation.

Police may need to balance the need to obtain information with the requirement to act against people who may be involved in illegal mining or other offences.

Potential witnesses may also need reassurance that their information will be handled safely and that they will not be exposed to retaliation.

At the same time, promises of immunity or protection cannot simply be made informally and would have to comply with the law and police procedures.

The community’s fear has been intensified by the belief that some of the alleged attackers have escaped and could return.

The miners say they are willing to speak, but want guarantees before doing so.

The police have not announced whether any of the miners have formally provided statements or whether arrests have been made in connection with the mass shooting.

For now, the investigation remains active and the alleged motive has not been officially established.

The residents who have lost relatives are waiting for justice, while those who survived the attack are living with the psychological impact of the violence.

The warnings of retaliation make the need for a careful investigation even more urgent.

Any further confrontation between rival groups could result in more deaths and could draw innocent community members into a conflict they did not start.

Police are expected to continue gathering evidence and tracing the suspects as residents call for security in the area.

Until the claims made by the zama zamas are independently tested, they remain unverified accounts of the events surrounding the Wedela shooting.

What is confirmed is that 18 people were killed, more than 10 others were injured and a community remains fearful after one of the deadliest tavern attacks in the area.

The central question now is whether the people who carried out the shooting can be identified and arrested before anger, fear and alleged territorial conflict lead to another tragedy.

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