Manhunt underway in South Africa after 9 people killed in shooting, police say

By Larry Madowo, Chris Lau, CNN

(CNN) — At least nine people were killed in a shooting at a tavern outside the South African city of Johannesburg during Sunday’s early hours, police have said.

Officers were searching for about a dozen suspects in the shooting, the force said, the motive for which was unclear.

The attack took place at 1 a.m. at the venue in Bekkersdal, a township to the southwest of Johannesburg, also wounding 10 others, according to a post on X by police.

“It is reported that about 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi and a silver sedan opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene,” the South African Police Service said, calling for witnesses to provide information.

Mass shootings are common in South Africa, which has the continent’s largest economy but also one of the world’s highest murder rates.

Murder hit a 20-year high last year; someone was killed in the country roughly every 20 minutes, according to quarterly police crime statistics from 2024.

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This is a developing story and will be updated