At least 11 people, including a 3-year-old child and two teenagers, were killed early Saturday when gunmen stormed a hostel in the Saulsville township west of Pretoria, authorities said. Fourteen others were wounded in the latest mass shooting to shock the crime-plagued nation.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that at least three unknown assailants entered the hostel around 4:30 a.m. local time and opened fire on a group of people drinking inside. The victims included a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, both killed in the attack.
Mathe described the venue as an “illegal shebeen,” or unlicensed drinking establishment, and linked it to a broader national problem. “We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” she told the South African Broadcasting Corporation, noting that such sites are often the scene of mass shootings where “innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire.”
No arrests have been made, and the motive remains unclear, police said. The attack is the latest in a series of mass shootings that have highlighted South Africa’s persistent violent crime crisis, which the government has repeatedly pledged to address through tougher policing and stricter firearms regulation.
Community leaders in Saulsville have called for increased police patrols and the closure of illegal taverns, while survivors and relatives of the victims gathered outside the hostel on Saturday morning, many in shock and grief.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the nation later today amid growing public concern over safety and gun violence. The South African Police Service has launched a manhunt for the suspects and appealed to the public for any information that could lead to their arrest.
