In brief
South African police are in pursuit of a group of gunmen following a horrific shooting at a tavern in Bekkersdal, Johannesburg, which left nine people dead and at least ten injured. The assailants reportedly fired into a crowd of patrons before fleeing in vehicles. This incident compounds the growing concern over violence and gun-related crime in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest murder rates.
South African police say a manhunt is under way after a shooting at a tavern left nine people dead and another 10 injured in a township near Johannesburg.
They say about 12 unidentified gunmen arrived in two cars in Bekkersdal, opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene.
The shooting happened at about 01:00 local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT Saturday). The police added that the tavern was licensed.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, at 45 people per 100,000 according to 2023-24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Earlier this month, at least 11 people - including a child - were shot dead at a hostel near Pretoria.
