Gunmen stormed a hostel in Saulsville township, west of Pretoria, early on Saturday, killing at least 12 people including a three-year-old child and injuring 13 others. Police said 25 people were shot in total, with ten dying at the scene and two later in hospital. A twelfth victim died on Saturday afternoon.
Police have launched a manhunt for three suspects and are investigating whether the attack was linked to an illegal bar, or shebeen, operating inside the hostel. “These illegal shebeens are really giving us a problem as the police,” said Athlenda Mathe, a police spokesperson. “Because a lot of murders are being reported at these illegal establishments.”
The victims included a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. The shooting is the latest in a series of mass shootings in South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Between April and September, more than 60 people were killed each day, according to police data.
Forensic and ballistic experts are at the scene. “So we are on a manhunt. For now, we are looking for three suspects,” Mathe said. The armed men shot indiscriminately, she added.
