Gun Free South Africa calls for urgent action after Reiger Park mass shooting

Gun Free South Africa (GFSA) has expressed deep sorrow and renewed its call for decisive government action following the drive-by shooting in Reiger Park, Boksburg, that claimed six lives and left three others injured on Saturday evening.

Dr Stanley Maphosa, Chief Executive Officer of GFSA, said the organisation sends its heartfelt condolences to the families affected by the tragedy. “We also wish those injured a full and quick recovery. These are not numbers. These are parents, children, siblings, and friends. Their lives have been violently cut short, and their families will never be the same,” Maphosa said.

He said the incident was a painful reminder that South Africa is living through a gun violence crisis that shows no signs of slowing down. “This is yet another reminder that South Africa is living through a gun violence crisis. In this country, the line between a legal and illegal gun is thin. This is because legal guns leak, get diverted, get stolen, and then end up being used in massacres like this one. That is our reality that can not be denied,” he said.

According to Gauteng police, two vehicles, a silver Polo and a black Polo, drove into the Reiger Park area on Saturday afternoon and opened fire on a group of people. Residents scrambled for cover as bullets tore through the street. Three men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while three others were rushed to hospital.

Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said additional police resources had been deployed to hunt down the suspects. “We have launched a manhunt for the suspects involved in this horrific shooting. Our investigators are on the ground collecting evidence and following leads to bring the perpetrators to justice,” he said. Kekana also urged the community to share information through the Crime Stop Line or the MySAPS app.

Maphosa said the Reiger Park massacre illustrated how the proliferation of guns had eroded public safety. “What is needed now is not statements. It is actions,” he said.

He called on the government at all levels to fully implement the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000 and to close the loopholes that have persisted for decades. “GFSA calls on the government, through all its spheres and entities, to fully implement the current Firearms Control Act and to urgently close the gaps and loopholes that have existed for over 25 years through the Firearms Control Amendment Bill,” Maphosa said.

Maphosa said the country could no longer afford to treat mass shootings as normal occurrences. “These deaths were preventable. We can not continue to accept this level of bloodshed as normal. South Africa needs real firearm governance, accountability, and enforcement now,” he said.

He added that without strict enforcement and reform of firearm laws, communities would continue to live in fear. “Every illegal gun started out as a legal one. Until the government deals with that reality, the killings will not stop,” he said.

Maphosa urged Parliament to prioritise the Firearms Control Amendment Bill and called on law enforcement agencies to track the flow of weapons from the legal market to the hands of criminals. “We need better systems to trace firearms, stricter storage controls, and stronger oversight of private ownership,” he said.

The National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, is expected to visit Reiger Park Police Station to receive a full briefing on the shooting and to announce further measures aimed at preventing similar incidents.

Political parties have also condemned the attack, describing it as a reflection of South Africa’s worsening gun crisis.

The African Transformation Movement (ATM) expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Party spokesperson Zama Ntshona said, “We mourn the tragic loss of lives in the Reiger Park shooting. We commend the Acting Provincial Commissioner for deploying resources to pursue the suspects. Such acts of lawlessness cannot be tolerated.”

ActionSA’s Ekurhuleni Mayoral Candidate, Xolani Khumalo, said the shooting highlighted the urgent need for stronger collaboration between police and communities. “Communities are rightly asking why SAPS cannot answer who is supplying the weapons that continue to terrorise our people,” Khumalo said.

The GOOD Party’s national chairperson, Matthew Cook, called for justice and transparency. “Our hearts go out to the families of the victims. This brutal act is another painful reminder of the urgent need to confront violent crime in South Africa,” he said.

As police continue their search for the suspects, Maphosa said the Reiger Park tragedy must mark a turning point. “We cannot become a country where lives are lost so easily and forgotten so quickly. The government must act now to stop the next shooting before it happens,” he said.

This is a developing story