Gunmen kill nine in South Africa tavern attack
Multiple casualties in the second mass shooting to happen in South Africa in three weeks
A manhunt is under way after a shooting at a tavern in South Africa left nine people dead and another 10 injured.
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Police said seven men and two women were killed in Bekkersdal, near Johannesburg, after about 12 unidentified gunmen arrived in two vehicles and opened fire at those gathered at the bar.
The shooting happened at about 01:00 local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT Saturday) and the perpetrators "continued to shoot randomly as [people] fled the scene", police added.
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Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj-Gen Fred Kekana told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the perpetrators, armed with pistols and one AK-47, were "unprovoked".
"The poor patrons were just enjoying themselves when people came and shot," he said.
Two of the victims were shot outside the tavern as they tired to flee and a third was a taxi driver who had dropped off a passenger nearby, Maj-Gen Kekana added.
The attack is the second mass shooting to happen in South Africa in three weeks.
On 6 December, multiple suspects took part in a mass shooting in an unlicensed bar that left at least 12 dead and 13 injured.
With almost 26,000 homicides in 2024, more than 70 per day on average, South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.