- Motive for attack at Bekkersdal not clear, say police.
- Some victims randomly shot in streets by unknown gunmen.
- Police spox says they don’t have breakdown of victims’ identities.
JOHANNESBURG: Unknown gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 10 others in an attack at a township outside Johannesburg, police said Sunday, in the second mass shooting in South Africa this month.
The motive for the attack at Bekkersdal, 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of the city, was not clear, police told AFP.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” a police statement said.
“10 people are dead. We don’t have a breakdown of who they are,” Brigadier Brenda Muridili, police spokesperson for Gauteng province, told AFP.
The shooting took place near a tavern or informal bar in Bekkersdal, an impoverished area near some of South Africa’s major gold mines.
The wounded were taken to the hospital, police said.
On December 6, gunmen stormed a hostel near the capital, Pretoria, killing a dozen people, including a three-year-old child.
Police said the shooting was at a site that was illegally selling alcohol.
South Africa, home to 63 million people, suffers from a high crime rate, including one of the highest murder rates in the world.
