At least 11 people, among them three children, were shot dead inside an unlicensed tavern in the township of Saulsville, west of South Africa’s capital Pretoria, police announced on Saturday.
Another 14 people were injured with varying degrees of severity and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment, according to a police statement.
Authorities said the children who died were between the ages of 3 and 16. A major investigation has been launched, and police are searching for three suspects believed to have attacked in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The mass shooting comes amid growing alarm over escalating gun violence in South Africa, a country that records one of the world’s highest murder rates. Police documented more than 26,000 homicides in 2024, an average of over 70 killings per day, underscoring the severe security challenges confronting the nation.
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