Twelve killed as gunmen open fire at illegal bar in Pretoria hostel

Shebeens are normally a tavern, bar or house where liquor is sold illegally and are popular in South Africa. Photo / 123rf

Gunmen stormed a hostel in South Africa’s capital Pretoria, killing a dozen people including a 3‑year‑old child, at a site police said was illegally selling alcohol.

The attack on Saturday (local time) is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have shocked the crime‑weary country of 63 million people, which suffers one of the highest murder rates in the world.

“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said.

Ten had died at the scene in Saulsville township, about 20km west of Pretoria, while two died in hospital, she said. The 12th victim succumbed to injuries.

Three gunmen entered what Mathe described as an illegal shebeen in the hostel at 4.30am (3.30pm NZT) and indiscriminately fired at a group of men who were drinking. A shebeen is an informal bar or tavern.

A 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were also killed in the attack.

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

Police said the motive was unknown and no arrests had been made. A manhunt is underway for the unidentified suspects.

“We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” Mathe said, adding that they are where most mass shootings occur.

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

Entrenched crime

South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.

Shootings are common and are often fuelled by gang violence and alcohol.

Many people own licensed firearms for personal protection but many more illegal guns are in circulation despite relatively strict gun ownership laws.

About 63 people were killed each day between April and September, according to police data, one of the world’s highest murder rates.

Most deaths stemmed from arguments, with robberies and gang violence also driving the toll, police said last month.

In October, two teenagers were killed and five others wounded in a gang‑related shooting in Johannesburg, the country’s financial capital

In May, gunmen killed eight customers at a tavern in the southeastern city of Durban.

Last year, 18 relatives were shot dead at a rural homestead in the country’s Eastern Cape Province.

- Agence France-Presse