The motive for the attack carried out in Bekkersdal, 40 kilometers southwest of South Africa’s economic capital, has not yet been clarified.
Gunmen killed ten people and injured ten others near Johannesburg, South African police announced this Sunday.
The motive for the attack carried out in Bekkersdal, 40 kilometers southwest of South Africa’s economic capital, has not yet been clarified.
“Some victims were shot randomly in the street by unidentified gunmen,” police said in a statement.
Brenda Muridili, police spokeswoman for Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg and the South African capital, Pretoria, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that authorities do not yet have “detailed information” about the victims’ identities.
On December 6, gunmen opened fire at a workers’ accommodation in Pretoria, killing 11 people, including a three-year-old child, in a place that, according to the police, housed an underground bar.
South Africa faces an endemic problem of crime and corruption, fueled by organized networks. Shootings are frequent, often linked to gang violence and alcohol consumption.
Although many people legally own firearms for personal protection, the number of illegal firearms in circulation is much greater.
Between April and September, around 60 people were killed every day in the country of 63 million people, according to South African police data.
