Gunmen kill 11 in early-morning attack on South Africa hostel

A mass shooting at a hostel in South Africa has left at least 11 people dead and 14 others injured after gunmen opened fire in the early hours of Saturday.

Police said the attack happened in Saulsville township, west of Pretoria, when several assailants stormed the building. A three-year-old child is among the victims.

“At least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting,” police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said.

Authorities say the motive remains unclear and no arrests have yet been made. The shooting is one of several deadly incidents to hit the country in recent years.

The gunmen are reported to have entered the premises at around 04:30 local time (14:30 GMT), targeting a group of men who had gathered to drink. Those killed also include a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.

“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” Mathe said.

She described the venue as an “illegal shebeen” and highlighted ongoing problems with unlicensed liquor outlets. “We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” she said, noting that many mass shootings occur in such settings.

“Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” she told public broadcaster SABC.

South Africa continues to grapple with one of the highest murder rates globally — 45 per 100,000 people, according to 2023–24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Police data shows that an average of 63 people were killed each day between April and September.