Eleven killed in attack on residence in South Africa

In South Africa, firearms, legally or illegally held, are widespread and shootings are frequent, particularly in the context of rivalries between criminal groups and competition between players in the parallel economy.

“ The victims, including a pregnant woman, were gathered in a house just before 11:00 p.m. [20:00 in Lisbon], when armed men broke into the area and opened fire,” he told the agency France-Presse (AFP), adding that two people survived the attack.

“ This incident left the population in deep shock and mourning,” Ntuli added. The reason for the attack is not yet known.

According to the local television channel ENCA, attackers forced all the people present to concentrate on a division of the house before opening fire. They will also have burned down a car belonging to one of the victims.

“It’s shocking and sad. These are people I grew up with. I can't believe it. It looks like a movie”, said a resident quoted by enca. “I’ve lived here forever and never seen anything like it,” he added.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, with about 60 people killed a day in a country with approximately 62 million inhabitants.

In March, the army was deployed to various areas affected by violence to support police in the fight against crime, which President Cyril Ramaphosa considers one of the main threats to the country.