On Saturday, gunmen attacked a hostel in Pretoria, South Africa, killing 11 people, including a three-year-old child, at a location allegedly selling alcohol illegally.
This tragic event adds to a series of mass shootings that have plagued the nation of 63 million, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates.
“I can confirm that 25 people were shot,” stated police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe, noting that 14 were hospitalized.
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Ten victims died at the scene in Saulsville township, 18 kilometers west of Pretoria, and one more succumbed in the hospital, she reported.
Three assailants stormed what Mathe termed an “illegal shebeen” in the hostel around 4:30 am (0230 GMT) and began firing at a group of men drinking there.
A 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were also among the fatalities.
“This is a very unfortunate incident. Police were only notified around 6 AM,” Mathe added.
The motive remains unknown, and no arrests have been made as a manhunt is ongoing.
“We face a major challenge with these illegal and unlicensed liquor establishments,” said Mathe, noting that they are frequent sites of mass shootings.
“Innocent people often get caught in the crossfire,” she told the public broadcaster SABC.
Persistent Crime Issues
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialized country, struggles with deep-rooted crime and corruption fueled by organized networks.
Shootings are prevalent, often linked to gang violence and alcohol consumption.
While many own legal firearms for self-defense, illegal guns are widespread.
Police data indicates that between April and September, about 63 people were murdered daily, one of the globe’s highest murder rates.
Most of these deaths result from disputes, with robberies and gang violence also contributing to the toll, police reported last month.
In October, a gang-related shooting in Johannesburg, the financial hub, resulted in two teenagers’ deaths and injured five others.
In a separate incident in May, gunmen killed eight patrons at a tavern in Durban.
Last year, 18 family members were shot dead at a rural home in Eastern Cape Province.
