‘Put down the guns’ – Lesotho association pleads for peace after 18 killed in Carletonville

Ask AI 3minMWA-L urged Basotho nationals involved in rival groups to abandon violence and resolve their differences peacefully after the deadly Gauteng attack.

The Migrant Workers Association of Lesotho has issued an emotional plea for peace after 18 people were killed in a mass shooting near Carletonville, warning that violence among Basotho nationals working in SA is devastating families and leaving communities in mourning.

The association, known as MWA-L, said the massacre at a tavern in Wedela, Extension 3, on Saturday, September 26, had left it shocked and grieving as it called on Basotho involved in rival groups to abandon violence and resolve their differences peacefully.

“We are bleeding as a nation,” the organisation said.

Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for eight unidentified armed men following the deadly shooting, in which patrons were targeted inside and outside the tavern.

Police said patrons were drinking at the establishment when the suspects arrived and allegedly opened fire on those outside before entering the tavern and continuing to shoot.

“Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for eight unidentified armed men following a deadly shooting,” police said.

The suspects were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols. They allegedly searched some patrons and stole their mobile phones before fleeing in two unidentified vehicles.

Police also reported that two vehicles were set alight during the incident.

“The suspects then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside,” SAPS said.

The attack left 18 people dead and 15 others wounded, according to earlier reports on the incident.

The gunmen’s motive remains subject to investigation. MWA-L claimed that reports had linked the massacre to turf wars involving rival illegal mining groups, commonly known as zama zamas, and factions associated with Famo music gangs.

MWA-L appealed directly to Basotho nationals involved in the violence, reminding them of the families and communities they had left behind in Lesotho.

“Le bana ba monna a le mong! Le bana ba Moshoeshoe!” the organisation said, meaning they are children of the same father and descendants of Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation.

The association questioned why people who had travelled to SA to earn a living and support their families were turning against one another.

It warned that disputes over abandoned mine shafts, gold and group loyalties were costing lives without offering those involved anything meaningful in return.

The organisation also urged leaders of rival groups to use their influence to prevent further bloodshed rather than encourage revenge and division.

“History will judge you not by how many shafts you controlled, but by how many Basotho lives you saved,” MWA-L said.

The association further called on the Lesotho government to treat the killings as a national crisis, arguing that the consequences extended beyond SA’s borders.

It claimed that 121 Basotho nationals had already been arrested in Carletonville and said families in Lesotho were struggling with uncertainty about the whereabouts of their relatives. The figure could not be independently verified from the information provided.

The killings have highlighted the cross-border impact of violence, with families in Lesotho potentially left waiting for news of relatives living and working in SA.

MWA-L urged leaders of the groups allegedly involved to encourage dialogue and conflict resolution, while calling on those participating in the violence to put down their weapons.

The association’s message was a plea to end the bloodshed before more families were forced to bury loved ones.