Dozen Killed in Mass Shooting at Pretoria Hostel

Pretoria – Gunmen attacked a hostel in Pretoria on Saturday, killing twelve people, including a three-year-old child, at a location police said was illegally selling alcohol.

Police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe confirmed that a total of 25 people were shot. Ten victims died at the scene in Saulsville township, 18 kilometres west of Pretoria, two more succumbed in hospital, and the twelfth died later in the afternoon. Among the dead were a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.

The attack occurred around 4:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) when three armed men entered an “illegal shebeen” — an informal bar — and opened fire on a group of men drinking inside. The motive remains unknown, and no arrests have been made as authorities continue a manhunt for the suspects.

Police highlighted the ongoing challenge posed by illegal liquor premises, which are frequently sites of mass shootings. “Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” Mathe told public broadcaster SABC.

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South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, faces persistent crime and corruption fueled by gangs and organised networks. Shootings are common, often linked to alcohol and disputes, despite relatively strict gun ownership laws. Police data indicate that between April and September, an average of 63 people were killed daily, making South Africa one of the countries with the highest murder rates worldwide.

Recent incidents include a gang-related shooting in Johannesburg in October that killed two teenagers and injured five others, a May attack in Durban that left eight customers dead at a tavern, and last year, 18 relatives were shot at a rural homestead in Eastern Cape Province.