WeeklySA_AdminHORROR: Police launch intensive manhunt after gunmen storm illegal shebeen in Saulsville Hostel in Atteridgeville, spray gunfire on patrons…
By Monk Nkomo
Police have launched an intensive manhunt for at least three gunmen who stormed an illegal shebeen inside the Saulsville Hostel in Atteridgeville in the early hours of Saturday, brutally killing 11 people — including three children — and injuring 14 others.
According to police, the young victims were aged three, 12 and 16. Fourteen injured survivors were rushed to Kalafong Hospital for urgent medical treatment.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the scale of the attack.
“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot. Ten died on the scene and one died in hospital,” she said. The motive for the massacre remains unknown, and no arrests have yet been made.
Mathe expressed concern about illegal shebeens operating within hostels, saying they often become hotspots for violent crime where innocent people fall victim. She added that police have mobilised significant resources to track down the perpetrators of what she described as a “horrendous crime,” with hopes of making arrests soon.
The killings have sparked fear among families living inside the hostel complex. Forensic and ballistic experts combed the scene shortly after the attack, searching for clues that may lead to the suspects.
A woman living near the crime scene described the terrifying moments when gunfire erupted.
“When the gunshots persisted, I rushed to move my children from their bed and made them sleep on the floor to avoid them being hit by stray bullets,” she said.
Neighbours gathered at the shebeen once the shooting had stopped, only to discover the bodies of people they knew.
“The people who were killed are people we know. They are just ordinary people who would never harm anybody. It is heartbreaking that they had to die this way,” one resident said.
