A mass shooting at a bar left at least 11 people, including three children, dead in a township near the South African administrative capital of Pretoria, police said on Saturday December 6. The children killed were a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.
A further 14 people were wounded and taken to the hospital, according to a statement from the South African Police Services. Police have yet to provide details on the ages of those who were injured. The shooting occured at an unlicensed bar in the Saulsville township west of Pretoria in the early hours of Saturday.
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“At least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting,” police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
Local media reported the bar was inside a hostel. Police are now hunting three suspects. The motive of the shooting is unknown.
The gunmen reportedly entered the premise at 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT) and opened fire on a group of men who were drinking.
“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” Mathe added.
Speaking to public broadcaster SABC Mathe said: “We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” where she said the majority of mass shootings occur.
“Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire.”
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The nation, home to about 62 million people, enforces fairly strict gun-ownership regulations, yet authorities report that many homicides involve illegal firearms.
In recent years, South Africa has seen multiple mass shootings in bars—often referred to as shebeens or taverns—including a 2022 attack in Soweto, Johannesburg, that left 16 people dead.
