President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged law enforcement agencies to act quickly against the culprits of the two shooting incidents that occurred over the weekend and left at least 19 people dead.
In one instance at a tavern in Soweto, at least 15 people were killed, while four others died in similar circumstances in Pietermaritzburg.
Due to injuries sustained in the two incidents, many are currently hospitalised.
“As a nation, we cannot allow violent criminals to terrorise us in this way, regardless of where such incidents may occur.
“As government, citizens and structures of civil society we must all work together even more closely to improve social and economic conditions in communities, reduce violent crime and stamp out the illicit circulation of firearms,” President Ramaphosa said.
The President expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and hoped those who were injured a swift recovery.
“Every single violent death is unacceptable and worrying, and killings on the scale we have seen in Soweto, Pietermaritzburg and previously Khayelitsha must spur us into a collective effort to build communities and make South Africa an unsafe place for criminals,” he said.
Premier David Makhura of Gauteng has also expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims of the shooting in Soweto and the two additional victims of a separate shooting in Katlehong.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless killing of so many people. We call on the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to book.
“We cannot allow incidents like this where innocent people are killed like animals. This kind of behaviour has no place in this province,” Makhura said.