Johannesburg – The community of the Nkaneng informal settlement, near Marikana, in the North West, must seek “calm” after three fatal shootings in the area, the ANC said on Monday.

“The African National Congress… urges the people of Nkaneng to seek the restoration of peace and calm within their community, and to co-operate with the SA Police Service in restoring lawfulness and order,” spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

On Saturday, two brothers were killed and two women were wounded at Nkaneng, outside Rustenburg, when a group of armed men, wrapped in blankets and wearing balaclavas, stormed into their shack.

Police responding to the scene were shot at when they passed Wonderkop.

They returned fire. No casualties were reported.

Amcu member killed

Also on Saturday, Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) North West organiser Mawethu Khululekile Stevens, 46, was killed at a tavern in Nkaneng.

Mthembu said the ANC condemned the shootings “in the harshest terms”.

“Marikana cannot be allowed to deteriorate into a bastion of lawlessness and the [ANC] urges the law enforcement agencies to act determinedly and with urgency to bring those involved in these crimes to answer before the judicial system.”

The party called for restraint in the spreading of rumours and unproved theories about the cause of the violence, as this could lead to further tension in the area.

Mthembu called on the police to ensure the crimes were punished, regardless of the identity of the killers or their motives, and to restore peace in the area.

SAPA