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The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association is demanding a dedicated law enforcement response to mass shootings and more visible policing in high-risk areas plagued by illegal mining and illegal firearms.
It is also demanding intelligence-led policing to stop attacks before they happen and a formal channel to share information with SAPS.
The organisation, which represents taverns, pubs, liquor stores, restaurants, shebeen permit holders and workers, made the demands on Thursday, after marching to the offices of Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi and MEC for economic development Vuyiswa Ramokgopa.
The march follows the mass shooting at a tavern in Wadela on September 26, where 18 people were killed and 18 wounded when eight heavily armed men opened fire.
“We come here because our members are afraid, frustrated and increasingly losing faith that their government hears them,” Jongikhaya Kraai said.
“We come here because those 18 people cannot simply become another statistic. They were somebody’s children, somebody’s parents, somebody’s friend. Their lives mattered.“
The association tabled five demands under two main concerns: safety and licensing.
On safety, traders said they have complied with licence conditions, employing guards, installing CCTV, controlling access and co-operating with police, but cannot fight organised criminals with assault rifles.
No reasonable tavern owner can defend a business, its staff and its patrons against an organised group carrying assault rifles. That is the responsibility of the state.
— Jongikhaya Kraai
On licensing, they slammed the Gauteng Liquor Board for backlogs and governance failures, saying government “cannot demand compliance while failing to provide an efficient, accessible and functional licensing system”.
The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association delivered a memorandum to the Premier and MEC for Economic Development, representing taverns, pubs, liquor stores, restaurants, permit holders, workers and families.. The march follows the mass shooting at a tavern in Wadela. #TimesLive pic.twitter.com/31lrWxzhWF
— Malwande Nzimande (@MalwandeNz24572) October 15, 2026
They demanded a transparent process to convert qualifying shebeen permits into licences, a moratorium on police raids against permit holders while court cases since 2017 remain unresolved, and an end to “unlawful” declining of township applications.
“Administrative uncertainty must not become criminalisation. Stop criminalising legitimate traders,” Kraai said.
Representatives from both offices accepted the memorandum.
TimesLIVE
Malwande Ndzimande
www.timeslive.co.za
