At least 11 people were killed and 14 wounded in a mass shooting at a hostel in Saulsville township, west of pretoria, South Africa, early Saturday morning. A three-year-old child is among teh dead.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe stated that at least three gunmen entered the hostel around 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT) and opened fire on a group of people who were drinking. “I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” Mathe said.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown, and no arrests have been made. Authorities have identified the venue as an ”illegal shebeen,” and Mathe emphasized the challenges posed by unlicensed liquor premises, stating, “We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” where she said the majority of mass shootings occur. “Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” she told public broadcaster SABC.
The attack, which claimed the lives of a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl alongside others, is the latest in a series of mass shootings to plague South Africa in recent years. The country has one of the highest murder rates globally, with 45 people per 100,000 according to 2023-24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Police data indicates that approximately 63 people were killed each day between April and September.
