South Africa: Gunmen kill 8 at birthday party

Gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday in a township in South Africa on Sunday, killing eight and injuring three, police said Monday.

“The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unknown persons, armed, entered” the property Sunday evening in the port city of Gqeberha (south), formerly called Port Elizabeth, “and started shooting at the guests”, has described the police in a statement.

The gunmen “randomly fired at the guests”, police said, adding that “eight people died while three others are still fighting for their lives in hospital”. “The owner of the house is among the deceased,” added the same source.

The motive for the attack is still unknown.

Eastern Cape Provincial Police Chief Nomthetheleli Mene condemned the killings, which she called a “shameless disregard for human life”.

An investigation has been opened and a manhunt is underway to find the perpetrators of the attack, police said.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, National Police Chief Fannie Masemola and crime experts are due to attend the scene of the shooting Monday morning.

Shootings occur on a regular basis in South Africa, a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world, fueled by gang violence and alcohol.

South Africa experienced a series of shootings in 2022 that left nearly 20 people dead in separate bars in the working-class suburbs of Johannesburg and the city of Pietermaritzburg (east).

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