Johannesburg, Dec 6 (IANS) — The South African Police Service (SAPS) has confirmed that 11 people, including three minors, were killed in a mass shooting at Saulsville Hostel in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, early Saturday. Fourteen others were injured and are currently receiving treatment in hospital.
According to SAPS, the attack occurred at an illegal shebeen where at least three unidentified gunmen opened fire on a gathering of people. The victims include two boys aged 3 and 12, and a 16-year-old girl, while the remaining deceased are adults. Local media reported that the shooting happened shortly after 4:15 a.m., though police were only alerted at around 6 a.m.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said forensic and ballistics teams were immediately deployed to the scene, and detectives from the Serious and Violent Crime Unit are investigating the motive behind the attack. A large-scale manhunt for the suspects is underway. Mathe also underscored the growing threat posed by illegal liquor outlets, noting that authorities shut down nearly 12,000 unlicensed establishments nationwide between April and September.
The tragedy follows a similar shooting last month in Cape Town, where seven men were killed in Philippi East. Rising gun violence and gang-related killings in the Western Cape have prompted civil society groups to warn of an escalating crisis in the region.
