At least 11 people – including a three-year-old child – have been killed in a mass shooting at a hostel in South Africa.
Fourteen others were wounded when gunmen stormed the venue in Saulsville township, west of the capital Pretoria, early on Saturday.
At least three unknown gunmen began firing "randomly" at a group of people who were drinking, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.
The motive of the shooting is unknown and no arrests have been made. It is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have rocked the crime-ridden country in recent years.
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. A 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were among those killed in the attack.
"I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot," Mathe said.
Describing the hostel as an "illegal shebeen", she added: "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," she told public broadcaster SABC.
In a major crackdown, police shut down 12,000 such premises outlets between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people across the country.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, at 45 people per 100,000 according to 2023-24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Some 63 people were killed every day between April and September, according to police data.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Manual for Mountain Objections on the planet - 2Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay are here: Top songs, albums and artists of 2025
- 3Scientists Just Discovered Japan’s First New Bird Species in Over 40 Years
- 4Colleges say foreign students feel 'unwelcome' in the U.S. amid big drop in international enrollment, new survey finds
- 5'A prank': Israel Police detain suspect for shooting rubber bullets at Ashkelon kindergarten
- Avoid Slam: Exploring the Pickup Truck Transformation
- The 25 Most Notable Style Crossroads in History
- Understanding Preschool Projects: Cultivating Abilities and Advancement
- Texas cities have some of the highest preterm birth rates in the US, highlighting maternal health crisis nationwide
- Figure out How to Ascertain the Restitution Time frame for Your Sunlight based chargers
- Santa's sleigh or the International Space Station? How to spot a bright Christmas flyby Dec. 24 and 25
- Everything you should know before booking a trip to Spain
- Kids with smartphones by age 12 are at higher risk of health issues, study finds
- What to watch for in weight loss drugs in 2026
