Twelve killed in shooting at South African bar, including young children, police say

Saturday, 6 December 2025 18:32

At least 12 people have been killed, including a three-year-old boy, in a shooting at an illegal bar in the South African city of Pretoria, police say.

The mass shooting took place in the tavern - known locally as a "shebeen" - in the early hours of Saturday morning in the Saulsville township.

A manhunt was launched for three suspects who were not identified.

Another 13 people were also wounded during the incident. Officers did not give details of their ages.

The South African Police Service said in a statement: "Three minors are among those deceased, which include three and 12-year-old boys [and a] 16-year-old female."

Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told national broadcaster SABC: "We are told that at least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting."

She said the motive for the killings was not clear. The shootings happened at around 4.15am, she said, but police were not alerted until 6am.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, averaging about 60 a day.

The country has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, authorities say.

There have been several mass shootings at bars in recent years.

Police said 18 people were killed - 15 of them women - in mass shootings at two separate houses in the same road in a rural part of Eastern Cape province in September last year.

Seven men were arrested for those shootings and face multiple charges of murder, while police recovered three AK-style assault rifles they believe were used in the shootings.

In another mass shooting in 2022, 16 people were killed in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.

Sky News