A tragic incident occurred at a bar near Pretoria, South Africa, where a mass shooting resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals, including three children, as confirmed by authorities on Saturday. Additionally, 14 people sustained injuries and were promptly taken to the hospital for treatment, as reported by the South African Police Services. Details regarding the ages of the injured individuals were not disclosed by the police.
The shooting transpired at an unlicensed bar situated in the Saulsville township to the west of Pretoria during the early hours of Saturday, according to local media reports, indicating that the bar was located within a hostel. Among the victims were a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl. Law enforcement officials are actively pursuing three suspects in connection with the incident.
Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, the police spokesperson, revealed that the gunmen, whose identities remain unknown, entered the hostel where a group of people were socializing and commenced firing indiscriminately. The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, and no arrests have been made thus far. The total number of individuals shot during the incident was confirmed to be 25.
Describing the hostel as an “illegal shebeen,” Mathe emphasized the prevalence of mass shootings in such unauthorized and unlicensed liquor establishments. South Africa, known for its high homicide rates, recorded over 26,000 homicides in 2024, averaging more than 70 per day. Firearms stand out as the primary cause of death in these homicide cases.
Despite having relatively strict gun ownership regulations, the country of 62 million inhabitants grapples with numerous killings carried out with illegal firearms. Over the past years, South Africa has witnessed several mass shootings at venues like bars, commonly referred to as shebeens or taverns in the region. Notably, a prior incident in 2022 claimed the lives of 16 individuals in a Johannesburg township, while a separate occurrence in September of the preceding year resulted in the deaths of 18 individuals, predominantly women, in mass shootings at two residences along the same road in a rural area of the Eastern Cape province. A suspect faced charges of 18 counts of murder for allegedly utilizing an AK-style assault rifle in the attacks.