Mass Shooting at Unlicensed Bar Near Pretoria Kills 11, Including Three Children

Mass Shooting at Saulsville Hostel Bar Leaves 11 Dead

A mass shooting at an unlicensed bar inside a hostel in the Saulsville township west of Pretoria early Saturday left at least 11 people dead, South African police said. Authorities identified three of the victims as children—a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl.

Police said another 14 people were wounded and taken to hospital; officials did not provide ages or update conditions for those injured. Ten victims died at the scene and an 11th died later in hospital, according to a statement by the South African Police Services.

The attack occurred at about 4:15 a.m., police said, though officers were not alerted until roughly 6:00 a.m. Investigators believe at least three male suspects entered the hostel where patrons were drinking and opened fire at random. Authorities said they were actively searching for the suspects and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“We are told that at least three unknown gunmen entered this hostel where a group of people were drinking and they started randomly shooting,” police spokesperson Brig. Athlenda Mathe told national broadcaster SABC. She said the motive for the killings remained unclear.

South Africa records among the world’s highest homicide rates. Officials reported more than 26,000 homicides in 2024—an average exceeding 70 deaths a day—and firearms are the leading cause of murder. Although the country has relatively strict legal controls on gun ownership, many deadly incidents involve illegal firearms, authorities say.

Mass shootings at informal bars—often called shebeens or taverns—have recurred in recent years. In 2022, a separate attack at a tavern in the Soweto area of Johannesburg killed 16 people; on that same day another incident in a different province killed four more. Police have warned violence at unlicensed taverns is a growing problem: between April and September this year they said they shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns and arrested over 18,000 people for involvement in unlawful liquor sales.

Recent mass killings in South Africa have also occurred outside taverns. In September last year, two near-simultaneous shootings at houses on the same road in a rural part of the Eastern Cape province left 18 people dead, including 15 women. Authorities arrested seven men in that case and recovered three AK-style assault rifles they believe were used in the attacks.

The investigation into the Saulsville shooting is ongoing. Police have provided few details about a possible motive or links to organized crime and asked the public to share any information that might help identify and arrest the suspects.