A predawn attack at a hostel in Pretoria has left 11 people dead, including a three-year-old child, after gunmen stormed an illegal drinking spot and opened fire on Saturday, South African police have confirmed.
Authorities said 25 people were shot when three armed men entered the premises—described as an “illegal shebeen”—and fired indiscriminately at patrons gathered in the early hours in Saulsville township, west of the capital. Fourteen survivors were rushed to hospital.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said ten victims died at the scene, with an eleventh person later succumbing to injuries in hospital. Among the dead were a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, highlighting what authorities called the tragic human cost of unchecked violence around unlicensed liquor venues.
Mathe said police were alerted to the attack about 90 minutes after it occurred, and investigators have launched a manhunt for the suspects. The motive remains unknown. She warned that illegal drinking establishments continue to be hotspots for deadly shootings across the country.
South Africa, which struggles with entrenched organised crime and widespread corruption, records one of the highest murder rates in the world. Police data shows an average of 63 people killed every day between April and September, with many deaths linked to gang activity, arguments and robberies.
Recent months have seen a spate of mass shootings, including the killing of two teenagers in a gang-related attack in Johannesburg in October and eight customers shot dead at a Durban tavern in May. Last year, 18 members of the same family were massacred at a homestead in Eastern Cape Province.
Authorities say the proliferation of illegal firearms and the widespread operation of unregulated drinking spots continue to fuel the violence, leaving both targeted victims and bystanders caught in the crossfire. A nationwide effort to close illegal establishments is ongoing, but police acknowledge the challenge remains immense.
