It was the latest mass shooting in a crime-weary country that records an average of more than 60 murders each day.
South African flags are seen in Pretoria, South Africa on December 11, 2013. Photo: Reuters
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South African flags are seen in Pretoria, South Africa on December 11, 2013. Photo: Reuters
South African police said on Wednesday that gunmen attacked an informal settlement near Johannesburg and shot dead 12 people overnight.
It was the latest mass shooting in a crime-weary country that records an average of more than 60 murders each day.
A police spokesman said the attack occurred shortly after 11pm on Tuesday, when more than 10 armed men moved into the area and stormed the settlement.
“The suspects reportedly entered the informal settlement from both entrances and drove across the area, opening fire on residents and community members at several locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” he said.
“Preliminary investigations show that 12 people died as a result of the attack,” said Colonel Dimakatso Nevuhulvi.
“Eight adult males and three adult females were declared dead at the scene,” he said. One person died in hospital.
The attack was in an area called Cleveland, about six kilometers (less than four miles) east of the Johannesburg city centre.
Nevuhulvi said the motive for the attack was not yet known and no arrests had been made yet.
South Africa is full of legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are common, often caused by gang rivalries and competition between informal businesses.