A mass shooting at an unlicensed bar on the western outskirts of Pretoria has renewed scrutiny of South Africa‘s mass shootings and illegal shebeens that continue to operate despite large-scale police crackdowns. Authorities confirmed that 12 people were killed and 13 others wounded after at least three gunmen entered a hostel venue in the Saulsville township during the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police later reported that three minors, aged three, twelve, and sixteen, were among the dead, underscoring the increasingly indiscriminate nature of violence linked to unregulated drinking establishments.
Around 4 a.m., the attack took place, but it took nearly two hours for officers to receive an alert. Investigators said that the gunmen opened fire on a group of people who had gathered inside the informal bar known locally as a shebeen before escaping.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe informed local media that officers are searching for 3 male suspects, but the motive remains unclear. She described the venue as “an illegal liquor premises”, noting that such sites have been repeatedly connected to severe crimes.
Authorities have struggled for years to regulate these informal bars. Between April and September this year, police have shut down nearly 12,000 illegal shebeens, a figure Mathe cited as evidence of the scale of the industry. She explained that many killings occurred either at illegal bars or licensed premises and stated that operations to enforce compliance would continue nationwide.
The shooting has drawn attention once again to the country’s consistently high levels of violent crime. South Africa records one of the world’s highest homicide rates, with firearms remaining the world’s leading cause of death in murders. Police data indicates that more than 63 homicides a day were reported between April and September, while United Nations statistics place the national murder rate at around 45 per 100,000 people.
Recent incidents have illustrated how prevalent these attacks have become. Last year, 18 people were killed in two related shootings in the Eastern Cape, and previous years saw deadly assaults at other shebeens, including a 2022 attack in Johannesburg that left 16 dead. Officials have repeatedly said that illegal firearms contribute significantly to these events and that many suspects remain linked to unregistered weapons.
As the investigation into the Saulsville shooting continues, police say they are widening searches in the Pretoria region while appealing for public assistance. No further attacks have yet been reported.
