Hunt for gunmen after 12 killed in Johannesburg shanty town massacre
The motive for the attack is not yet known
South African police have launched a manhunt after 12 people were killed and nine injured in a mass shooting in Johannesburg.
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Police said in a statement that they had launched a manhunt for more than 10 suspects following the attack at the Jumpers informal settlement.
Eight men and three women died at the scene, while another man died of his injuries at the hospital.
Officers responded to a "complaint of shooting in progress" on Tuesday evening.
The motive for the attack is not yet known, however, previous shootings have been linked to turf wars between illegal mining gangs in and around the city.
"It is alleged that more than 10 suspects were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a petrol station in Cleveland," they said.
"The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle."
South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, averaging about 60 a day.
Athlenda Mathe, police spokesperson, added: “Provincial and district detectives, supported by crime intelligence and forensic experts, have been mobilised to investigate the incident and track down the suspects."
More than 5 million people in South Africa live in informal settlements, which are overcrowded makeshift homes with little access to running water or electricity, that have their roots in apartheid era policies.
According to an Amnesty report, the South African government brought in a policy in 2004 that aims to upgrade existing informal settlements to enhance the housing provision, as well as renew inner city areas and improve spatial planning and integration.