11 Killed As Gunmen Attack Hostel In South Africa

Gunmen stormed a hostel in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, on Saturday, killing 11 people, including a three-year-old child, at a location police said was operating as an illegal liquor outlet.

The attack marked the latest in a series of mass shootings that have unsettled the crime-weary nation of 63 million people, which records one of the highest murder rates globally.

“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said, noting that 14 victims were rushed to hospital for treatment.

Ten people died at the scene in Saulsville township, located 18 kilometres (11 miles) west of Pretoria, while another victim died in hospital, Mathe added.

According to police, three gunmen entered what Mathe described as an “illegal shebeen” inside the hostel at about 4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) and opened fire indiscriminately on a group of men who had been drinking.

Among the victims were a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.

“Quite an unfortunate incident. Police were only alerted to this incident at around 6 o’clock,” Mathe said.

Authorities said the motive for the attack remains unknown, and no arrests have been made so far. A manhunt is currently underway.

“We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” Mathe said, stressing that many mass shootings occur at such locations.

“Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” she told public broadcaster SABC.

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, continues to grapple with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised criminal networks.

Shootings are frequent and often linked to gang activity, alcohol, or personal disputes.

While many citizens legally own firearms for protection, a significant number of illegal guns remain in circulation.

Police data shows that an average of 63 people were killed each day between April and September, one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Most fatalities stemmed from arguments, alongside robberies and gang violence.

In October, two teenagers were killed and five others injured in a gang-related shooting in Johannesburg.

Earlier in May, gunmen killed eight people at a tavern in Durban. And last year, 18 members of a single family were massacred at a rural homestead in Eastern Cape Province.