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Fourteen others were wounded when at least three unidentified gunmen stormed the premises at around 04:30 local time (02:30 GMT) and opened fire on a group of people who had been drinking. Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the attackers fired “randomly” into the crowd. A 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were also among the dead.
“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” Mathe said, adding that the motive remains unknown and no arrests have been made.
She described the venue as an “illegal shebeen”, noting that many mass shootings in South Africa occur in unlicensed drinking spots. “We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises… Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” she said.
South Africa has shut down more than 12,000 such premises between April and September and arrested over 18,000 people as part of a national crackdown.
The country continues to grapple with one of the world’s highest murder rates — 45 homicides per 100,000 people according to 2023–24 UN data. Police figures show that between April and September alone, an average of 63 people were killed every day.
The latest attack adds to a growing list of mass shootings in recent years, underscoring the severe levels of violent crime that authorities have struggled to rein in.
