South African police said a search was underway after nine people, including seven men and two women, were killed and 10 injured in a shooting at a pub in a township in the goldfields near Johannesburg.
They said about a dozen unidentified gunmen arrived in two vehicles in Beckersdal and “opened fire on pub patrons and continued shooting at random as they fled the scene.”
The shooting occurred at 1:00 a.m. local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT on Saturday). Police added that the pub was licensed.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. According to police statistics, an average of 63 people died per day from April to September this year.
Murders are often the result of arguments, robberies, or gang violence, but the motive for these killings is unclear.
At the scene, provincial police chief Major Fred Kekana told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the assailants, who were armed with a pistol and an AK-47, were “unprovoked”.
“The poor patrons were having fun with people coming and shooting.”
Two of the victims were shot outside the pub as they exhausted themselves from running away, while the third was a taxi driver who had dropped off a passenger nearby, Kekana added.
Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including children, were shot dead at a hostel near Pretoria.
