Gunmen kill eight at birthday party in South Africa

Investigations into the circumstances and possible motives for the attack are ongoing

January 30, 2023 05:41 pm | Updated 05:53 pm IST - JOHANNESBURG

Picture for representation purpose only.

Picture for representation purpose only. | Photo Credit: Reuters

Gunmen killed eight people and wounded three others at a birthday party in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, police said, adding that manhunt was underway to find the killers.

The mass shooting was carried out by two attackers and occurred between 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday at a house in Kwazakele, Gqeberha, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement.

The gunmen fled after the attack, and no arrests have been made, the police said. Investigations into the circumstances and possible motives for the attack were ongoing. Police have not named the victims, but confirmed that the owner of the house was among them.

"These victims were killed by criminals, and we will not rest until we find out what happened and who was responsible for (this) callous and cold-blooded attack on these unsuspecting victims," said Eastern Cape SAPS Commissioner Nomthetheleli Lillian Mene.

The latest incident follows a spate of mass shootings last year that shocked the nation. In July, gunmen killed 19 people in random shootings within hours of each other.

South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, with around 20,000 people killed every year out of a population of 60 million.

According to campaign group Gun Free South Africa, there are about 3 million guns registered in the country, though there are many more unregistered.

Police Minister Bheki Cele and SAPS National Commissioner Fannie Masemola are expected to visit the site of the latest outrage lager on Monday.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.