Gunmen shot and killed 10 people and wounded 10 others in an attack at a township outside Johannesburg, police said Sunday.
This was the second mass shooting in South Africa this month.
The motive for the attack at Bekkersdal, 40 kilometres southwest of the city, was not clear, police told AFP.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” a police statement said.
“Ten people are dead. We don’t have a breakdown of who they are,” Brigadier Brenda Muridili, police spokesperson for Gauteng province said.
The shooting took place near a tavern or informal bar in Bekkersdal, an impoverished area near some of South Africa’s major gold mines.
The wounded were taken to hospital, police said.
On December 6, gunmen stormed a hostel near the capital Pretoria, killing a dozen people including a three‑year‑old child.
Police said the shooting was at a site that was illegally selling alcohol.
South Africa, home to 63 million people, suffers from a high crime rate, including one of the highest murder rates in the world.
Murders are often the result of arguments, robberies and gang violence, but a motive for this killing is not clear.
At the scene, 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.”
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.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika one resident described how gunfire had become a normal thing at night in Bekkersdal.
“Criminals, they do as they please here. These guns, they sound each and every evening… as soon as it’s dusk we know that gunshots are about to sound and they will sound severely… It is terrorising our communities,” the unnamed man said.
There are about three million legally held firearms in South Africa but there at the least the same number of unlicensed weapons in circulation in the country, according to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert from the South African Gunowners’ Association.
Earlier this month, at least 11 people – including a child – were shot dead at a hostel near Pretoria.
By Agencies
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