No fewer than nine people have been confirmed dead and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African bar during the early hours of Sunday.
The incident occurred in the township of Bekkersdal which is located 46 kilometers (28 miles) west of Johannesburg.
According to police, about 12 unknown suspects in a white minibus and a silver sedan opened fire at pub patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern, in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” the police said of the incident that left nine people dead and 10 hospitalized.
Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, the acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, told the newsmen at the scene that the gunmen, some of whom wore balaclavas, had one AK-47 rifle and several 9-millimeter pistols.
The law enforcement agency did not release information about the victims, but police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that an e-hailing driver was among those caught in the crossfire.
She added that the driver had just dropped off a client before the gunmen, whose motive for the shooting is unknown, attacked the bar.
Meanwhile, a manhunt for the suspects in the multiple gunshot event has been initiated by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations in collaboration with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit.
