Cape Town: Ten members of a family were killed in a mass shooting at a home in South Africa, police said on Friday (Apr 21). The shooting took place on Thursday night or early Friday. Police Minister Bhiki Cele was due to visit the scene on Friday.
10 killed in mass shooting
Seven women and three men were shot dead when a group of unidentified armed men stormed their home in the city of Pietermaritzburg in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province. The motive for the killing was not immediately clear. “According to preliminary police reports, unknown gunmen stormed the Pietermaritzburg homestead and ambushed the family,” police said in a statement.
Mass shootings are common in South Africa
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and there have been incidents of mass shootings in recent years.
In January, eight people were shot dead at a birthday party in the south coast town of Gkebera. Last year, a mass shooting at a bar in the Johannesburg township of Soweto killed 16 people when a group of armed men, some with rifles, opened fire on customers.
(with AP inputs)
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