Gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday in a township in South Africa on Sunday, killing eight and wounding three, police said on Monday.
“The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unidentified armed people “entered the property in the port city of Gqeberha (south), formerly known as Port Elizabeth, on Sunday evening and started shooting at the guests,” police said in a statement .
The gunmen “shot at guests indiscriminately,” 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 those who died,” the same source added.
The motive for the attack is still unknown.
Eastern Cape Provincial Police Chief Nomthetheleli Mene condemned the killings, calling them “blatant disregard for human life”.
An investigation has been launched 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 said to be present at the scene Monday morning.
In South Africa, a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world, shootings are regular, fueled by gang violence and alcohol.
South Africa experienced a series of shootings in 2022 that left nearly 20 people dead in various bars in the working-class suburbs of Johannesburg and the city of Pietermaritzburg (east).