The Winnie Mandela Drive off-ramp, formerly William Nicol Drive, has been closed to traffic due to a shooting incident.
The SA Police Services are on scene, while traffic is backed up heavily in the area, causing heavy traffic congestion on the N1 highway all the way to the Rivonia Road off-ramp.
The SAPS said it believed the shooting was linked to the minibus taxi industry.
An alert from the Gauteng JOC (joint operations command) said the road had been closed since 1pm.
“Winnie Mandela Drive off-ramp has been closed at the N1 southbound freeway due to a crime scene. “Traffic has backed up to Rivonia Rd on the freeway,” it said.
The Joburg Metro Police Department confirmed they had closed the Winnie Mandela Drive off-ramp in the aftermath of the shooting incident, while the SAPS were on the scene.
In the initial report, IOL quoted JMPD spokesperson Senior Superintendent Xolani Fihla citing a fatal shooting, but the SAPS, who processed the scene later clarified that there was a shooting, but there were no fatalities.
The victim has been hospitalised.
The SAPS were investigating a case of attempted murder.
Fihla said delays were expected on the N1 South towards the Winnie Mandela Drive and Malibongwe Drive off-ramp, while urging commuters to use alternative routes such as Rivonia Road to avoid traffic.
Meanwhile, the Joburg Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku is expected to launch the city's festive season safety campaign at the intersection of Winnie Mandela and Witkoppen roads on Friday.
Reader’s Note: An initial version of the story reported that there was a fatality. The SAPS has since clarified that the victim was wounded during the hijacking and shooting incident. The error is regretted.
IOL News