12 killed in mass shooting near Johannesburg
TLE DESK: Gunmen stormed an informal settlement near Johannesburg and shot dead 12 people overnight, South African police said on Wednesday, in the latest mass shooting to hit the violence-plagued country.
The attack occurred shortly after 11:00 pm on Tuesday in Cleveland, an area about six kilometres east of Johannesburg city centre.
According to police, more than 10 armed assailants arrived in a vehicle and entered the settlement through multiple access points before opening fire on residents at several locations.
“The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” police spokeswoman Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.
Preliminary investigations found that 12 people were killed in the attack.
“Eight adult males and three adult females were declared dead at the scene,” Nevhuhulwi said, adding that another victim later died in hospital.
Police said the motive behind the shooting remains unknown and no arrests have been made so far.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest violent crime rates, with more than 60 homicides recorded on average each day. The country is awash with both legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are frequently linked to gang rivalries, criminal activity and disputes within the informal business sector.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
