Gun Free SA warns that everyday disputes can turn deadly


Advocacy group Gun Free South Africa says it is concerned about how quickly everyday disputes can turn fatal.

This comes as a 58-year-old man is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court following a road rage incident in Emmarentia in Gauteng on Sunday.

The suspect faces charges of murder and attempted murder after a confrontation between two drivers escalated into a shooting. One man was killed, while another driver and a female passenger were wounded.

The incident has once again thrust South Africa’s gun debate into the spotlight.

Dr Stanley Maphosa, Executive Director of Gun Free South Africa, says, “It is a really hard-breaking incident that could have been prevented. It shows that guns don’t only feature in organised crime, but they are in our day-to-day present life in conflicts. For example, Gauteng alone in the past reporting period of 2025, 2026, the last quarter, which was released on the 5th of March, indicated that 200 people out of 1,277 gun murders were murdered through misunderstanding, road rage and social arguments.”

Video | Emmarentia road rage murder suspect to appear in court