Johannesburg [South Africa], December 22: A large-scale manhunt is under way near Johannesburg after at least nine people were killed and 10 injured in a shooting early on Sunday morning, the Gauteng Provincial Police said.
The incident occurred around 1 am (2300 GMT on Saturday) in the Bekkersdal township near Johannesburg.
According to police, 12 armed perpetrators in two cars opened fire on patrons of a bar and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene. The bar has a valid liquor licence.
In a statement on Sunday, the police said a manhunt by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations in collaboration with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit is under way for those involved in the shooting, which took place in the Bekkersdal township just before 1am on Sunday (23:00 GMT on Saturday).
"It is reported that about 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi [a minibus] and a silver sedan opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene," the police said in a statement.
"The tavern is licensed," it added. Authorities said the wounded were taken to
hospital.
The motive for the crime is not yet known. The injured were taken to local hospitals.
The South African public broadcaster SABC reported that the unknown attackers in Sunday's shooting opened fire on patrons of the tavern and people in the streets outside.
"We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime and management team has arrived," Fred Kekana, acting police commissioner of Gauteng, told the SABC.
South Africa has been struggling for years with one of the highest crime rates in the world, exacerbated by widespread poverty, social inequality and inefficient law enforcement.
There have been several mass shootings at bars - sometimes called shebeens or taverns in South Africa - in recent years, including a mass shooting carried out by multiple suspects in an unlicensed bar near the South African capital Pretoria that killed at least 12 people, including a three-year-old, early this month.
The murder rate is particularly high. In addition to crime, corruption and abuse of power are also widespread, making it difficult to combat crime.
Source: Qatar Tribune
