11 Dead Including 3-Year-Old in South Africa Hostel Mass Shooting: Rising Violence in Pretoria

Police have indicated that the motive remains unknown and no suspects have been apprehended yet.

In South Africa's capital city of Pretoria, armed assailants entered a hostel on Saturday and claimed the lives of 11 individuals, including a three-year-old child, at a location that authorities have identified as an illegal alcohol outlet.

This incident represents the latest in a series of mass shootings that have deeply disturbed the crime-fatigued nation of 63 million residents, which experiences one of the world's highest homicide rates.

"I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot," stated police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe, noting that 14 victims had been transported to medical facilities.

Ten individuals were pronounced dead at the scene in Saulsville township, located approximately 18 kilometers west of Pretoria, while another victim succumbed to injuries in the hospital.

According to Mathe, three gunmen entered what she described as an "illegal shebeen" within the hostel premises around 4:30 am and fired indiscriminately at a group of men who were consuming alcohol.

The victims also included a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old female who lost their lives in the attack.

"Quite an unfortunate incident. Police were only alerted to this incident at around 6 o'clock," Mathe reported.

Law enforcement officials stated that the motive remains undetermined and no arrests have been made, though a manhunt is currently in progress.

"We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises," Mathe explained, adding that such establishments are frequent sites of mass shootings.

"Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire," she informed the public broadcaster SABC.

South Africa, the continent's most industrialized nation, is struggling with deeply rooted crime and corruption driven by organized networks.

Shootings occur frequently, often fueled by gang violence and alcohol consumption.

While many citizens own licensed firearms for personal protection, there are significantly more illegal weapons in circulation throughout the country.

According to police data, approximately 63 people were killed daily between April and September, representing one of the world's highest murder rates.

Police reported last month that most fatalities resulted from arguments, with robberies and gang violence also contributing significantly to the death toll.

In October, two teenagers were killed and five others wounded in a gang-related shooting in Johannesburg, the country's financial hub.

In another tragic incident in May, gunmen killed eight customers at a tavern in the southeastern city of Durban.

Last year, 18 family members were shot dead at a rural homestead in the country's Eastern Cape Province.