Last Updated on July 12, 2020, 7:58 AM AST by Anthony Morris
South African police said that five people died in an attack on a church west of Johannesburg and 40 people were arrested.
The national police commissioner said an off-duty police officer was among the 40 people who were detained after the gunmen stormed the church, reportedly because of a leadership dispute.
Some of the attackers also took hostages who were freed later, after the incident on Saturday.
Khehla John Sitole, South African police chief said that four people were found shot and burnt to death in a car and a fifth victim who was a security guard, was also shot in his car while he was attending this complaint and he lost his life.
An armed group had stormed the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in Zuurbekom, which is located on the western outskirts of Johannesburg.
The police said that they indicated that they were coming to take over the premises.
The church had multiple succession-related clashes which have been widely reported by the local media since the founder and the multimillionaire leader Comforter Glayton Modise had died in the year 2016.
Sitole said that the police responded to reports of “shooting and an alleged hostage situation,” and the police seized over 34 firearms including five rifles, 13 pistols and 16 other guns.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
