JOHANNESBURG

Nine people were killed after gunmen opened fire on them at an informal settlement outside the mining city of Rustenburg in South Africa’s North West province, police said Sunday.

Police spokesman Brig. Sabata Mokgwabone said the incident took place around 9.15 p.m. (1915GMT) on Saturday night.

Mokgwabone said that according to information available, a group of mainly Xhosa-speaking individuals were sitting in a yard drinking liquor when an unconfirmed number of Sesotho-speaking individuals opened fire on them.

“As a result, eight people died instantly, while the ninth one was certified dead on arrival at the hospital. Moreover, eight people were reported to be wounded,” he said in a statement.

He added that North West Provincial Commissioner Lt-Gen. Sello Kwena has sent a dedicated team to investigate the killings, the motive of which is yet to be determined.

The dead included five males and four females.

Mass shootings have become more frequent in South Africa, where around 70 people were murdered on average every day in April-June 2022, according to the latest national crime statistics.

In July last year, 14 people were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in the township of Soweto near Johannesburg. Police said the attackers used high-caliber firearms and sprayed bullets randomly.

Several mass shootings were reported in the country last year.