The Gauteng Liquor Traders Association (GLTA) will host a peaceful protest on Thursday, 15 October, and hand over a memorandum of demands to the Premier of Gauteng, calling for urgent and concrete action to address the threat of mass shootings and violent crime affecting taverns and the communities they serve.
The protest follows the killing of 18 people and wounding of 18 others in the mass shooting at a tavern in Wedela on Gauteng’s West Rand on 26 September.
Date and time: 15 October 2026 from 09h00 12h00
Location: Eastern part of Beyers Naude Square, CBD, Johannesburg
“We will protest for the 18 people who lost their lives in Wedela, for those who were injured, for their families, and for every tavern owner, worker, patron and community member who is now asking whether they could be next,” said GLTA spokesperson Jongikhaya Kraai.
“We cannot allow these deaths to become another terrible headline that shocks South Africa for a few days and is then forgotten. Eighteen people lost their lives. We owe it to them to remember them, but remembrance without action is not enough.”
At the Office of the Premier, protesters will read and hand over a memorandum setting out GLTA’s demands for a coordinated and sustained law enforcement response to mass shootings and violent organised crime affecting taverns and their surrounding communities.
GLTA is calling for clear commitments from the Gauteng Provincial Government and law enforcement authorities on the practical measures that will be taken to prevent further attacks, improve intelligence and visible policing in high-risk areas, tackle the proliferation of illegal firearms and organised criminal networks, and protect traders, workers and patrons.
Premier Lesufi has particular responsibility for this response, with the Community Safety portfolio falling under the Office of the Premier.
“Tavern owners are living and working in fear,” says Kraai. “Responsible traders deploy security guards at their doors, install cameras, control access and comply with every requirement placed upon them. But when eight heavily armed gunmen arrive with assault rifles, this is no longer something an individual business owner can reasonably be expected to prevent. This requires the full capability of the state, not only in terms of effective policing, but also to urgently address the issues that underpin attacks such as these, like organised crime and illegal mining.”
GLTA says the protest is also about restoring the principle of partnership between government and the liquor industry. In 2023, the Gauteng Provincial Government and liquor industry signed the Gauteng Liquor Pledge under the banner of “safety before profits”, committing government and industry to work together towards responsible trading and safer communities.
GLTA believes responsible liquor traders must continue to meet their side of that commitment, but that safety is a shared responsibility. “Three years ago, we stood together and said safety must come before profits. We still believe that. But partnership cannot mean placing the responsibility for public safety at the door of tavern owners while traders, their customers and the communities in which they live are targeted by heavily armed criminals,” Kraai said.
“We need government standing alongside us, with visible policing, intelligence, enforcement and an actionable plan.”
As part of its protest, GLTA will also hand over a second memorandum to the MEC for Economic Development. This will address longstanding regulatory and permitting concerns affecting liquor traders, as well as ongoing administrative irregularities within the Gauteng Liquor Board.
GLTA is calling on liquor trader organisations and associations from across Gauteng and elsewhere in South Africa, as well as other organisations representing the broader liquor industry, to stand in solidarity with those affected.
“If you are in our sector, and in Gauteng, come and stand with us,” Kraai said.
GLTA is also calling for all tavern owners that are unable to join the protest to close their establishments between the hours of 10h00 and 14h00 to show solidarity for the victims.
“People should be able to go to work, meet friends, watch a football match or have a drink without fearing that armed men may walk through the door and open fire. On 15 October, we will remember those we have lost. But we will also demand that their deaths result in action that makes others safer.”