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South Africa Mass Shooting: At least nine people, including three children, were killed in a mass shooting in a township outside Johannesburg, police said on Sunday. The attack occurred in Bekkersdal township, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, where gunmen opened fire on residents, killing at least nine people and wounding ten others, according to law enforcement officials.
Police said the motive for the shooting remains unclear and that the attackers fled the scene immediately after the incident. In a statement, authorities said some of the victims appeared to have been targeted at random while walking along the streets.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” police said, describing the violence as sudden and indiscriminate. Brigadier Brenda Muridili, Gauteng province police spokesperson, told Agence France-Presse that authorities were still working to identify the victims. “Ten people are dead. We don’t have a breakdown of who they are,” she said, noting that the number of fatalities could change as investigations continue.
Gunmen Open Fire In Public Area
The South African public broadcaster SABC reported that the unknown attackers opened fire on patrons of the tavern and people in the streets outside. “We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime and management team has arrived,” SABC reported, quoting Fred Kekana, acting police commissioner of Gauteng.
“The provincial crime scene management team has arrived, and a team from the local criminal record centre is here, so is our serious crime investigating team, crime intelligence and the provincial crime detective team is on scene,” he added.
On December 6, gunmen attacked a hostel near Pretoria, killing 12 people, including a three-year-old, at a site allegedly selling alcohol illegally.