One more person has been arrested in the shooting that brought the community of Nomzamo in Soweto indescribable pain and trauma. ??

?ACCUSED NUMBERS SIX

The 32-year-old man appeared briefly at the Orlando East Magistrates Court on Monday, soon after his five co-accused. All the accused are facing a string of charges including 19 murders, multiple attempted murder cases, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition as well as racketeering. They are allegedly involved in the mass shooting that claimed 16 lives at the tavern in Nomzamo, Orlando East. Three of the murders were committed in different parts of Soweto weeks before the tavern shooting. 

COURT CASE

Their case was postponed to 31 January as the stare prosecutor Carla Britz was unavailable to attend the matter due to an illness. Before being arrested in the Mdlalose tavern shooting, accused number 6 was attending a separate matter at Kagiso Magistrate court for a crime he allegedly committed in January 2021. The man told the court that he had no previous conviction but that he was once arrested for failing to produce his passport to authorities. "I have a private legal representative that will be present in my next appearance," the accused said. Magistrate Mohamad Jooma explained to the accused number six the seriousness of the matter he is attending. "You are facing a schedule six offence, and should you be convicted, you will face a sentence of between 15 years and life imprisonment."

THE GRUESOMEINCIDENT

On the evening of 9July 2022, unsuspecting tavern patrons were watching a Rugby match and drinking when unknown men walked in and started shooting randomly. Survivors described the scene like that of a horror movie. The men were allegedly carrying rifles and a pistol and shot at whoever they laid their eyes on. Those who were still conscious after being shot were finished off with a bullet to the head. 

BERIEVED FAMILY SPEAKS

Mpumi Mluma whose brother Daliwonga Mluma died during the shooting said it was frustrating that the case was postponed so many times. "It's not easy having to see the killers of my brother all the time but we must trust the process. I think what gives us consolation is the fact that there are developments in the matter and the police are still pursuing the rest of the suspects." Mluma said. She told ZiMoja that the police stopped patrolling their area and they are still living in fear. "We only saw amabherethe once all the other days were just police vans patrolling but things have since gotten back to normal. We still hear gunshots and people are still getting robbed. There is just no peace in this place," she added.