Multiple attackers killed 12 people and wounded at least nine others in a late-night mass shooting near Johannesburg on Tuesday night, according to police. The attackers were dropped off in a minibus in Cleveland, an informal settlement suburb, before opening fire on residents and community members across multiple locations.
According to Col. Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi of the police, eight adult males and three adult females died at the scene. Eleven others succumbed later in hospitals. No arrests have been made as police continue their search for the shooters.
The motive behind the shootings remains unclear. However, recent high-profile mass shootings in South Africa suggest a possible link to illegal mining gangs operating near Johannesburg. The country has one of the world’s highest murder rates, averaging about 60 per day.