Nine people were killed and 10 others injured when gunmen opened fire at a licensed tavern in a township southwest of Johannesburg early Sunday, South African police said.
The shooting happened shortly before 1 a.m. local time in Bekkersdal, a township in Johannesburg’s Rand West City area, the South African Police Service said in a statement.
Police said about 12 suspects arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan, then opened fire on patrons. Officers said the attackers continued shooting “randomly” as they fled the scene.
The wounded were taken to medical facilities for treatment. Police said an investigation is under way and the motive has not yet been established.
Bekkersdal is an area marked by high unemployment and poverty following the decline of gold mining, according to the Rand West City municipality.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates globally, averaging about 60 killings a day.