A devastating mass shooting in Saulsville, Pretoria, has left 11 people dead and 14 others wounded, prompting a major police manhunt for three unidentified suspects. The attack, which unfolded late on Friday, has sent shockwaves through the community and renewed concerns about violent crime in Gauteng.
Police confirmed on Saturday that 25 people were shot during the incident. Among the deceased are three minors: a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. The remaining victims who died are adults. All 14 survivors are receiving treatment in hospital, with police continuing to gather evidence at the scene.
According to authorities, the shooting took place at an unlicensed shebeen, though the motive has not yet been established. Crime-scene experts, detectives and specialised units remained deployed as police searched for leads in tracking down the three suspects who fled the area.
Gauteng police have appealed to the public for information that could assist in identifying or locating the gunmen. The shooting adds to a rising pattern of violent attacks in the province, many of which have occurred in densely populated communities.
Political party ActionSA condemned the killings, describing the attack as part of a worsening “organised-crime emergency” in Gauteng. In a statement issued on Saturday, the party linked the Saulsville shooting to a broader pattern of escalating violence, citing the assassination of key witness Marius “Vlam” van der Merwe in Brakpan the previous night and last month’s mass shooting in Boksburg, which claimed six lives.
ActionSA said the frequency and scale of such incidents reflect what it called a collapse in intelligence-driven policing. The party argued that the state had failed to disrupt criminal networks, allowing gangs, extortion syndicates and other organised crime structures to operate with increasing boldness.
The statement said the country’s crime-fighting agencies were struggling due to weakened intelligence capabilities and the diversion of policing resources toward politically influenced operations instead of targeted law-enforcement strategies.
ActionSA called on national and provincial authorities to urgently rebuild crime intelligence and deploy specialised units capable of dismantling organised crime syndicates. It also proposed the establishment of permanent anti-gang task teams that would include the SAPS, metro police departments, the Hawks, Crime Intelligence and the National Prosecuting Authority.
The party further urged the government to strengthen and modernise Community Policing Forums to ensure cooperation between communities and police structures. It said performance accountability measures should be introduced for station commanders and provincial SAPS leadership to improve crime-fighting outcomes.
“Residents in townships, suburbs and informal settlements live under siege while criminals act with growing boldness,” the statement read, adding that the killings showed that crime in Gauteng was systemic and driven by organised groups rather than random acts of violence.
As police continue their search for the three suspects, the Saulsville community remains shaken by one of the deadliest shootings in the area in recent months. Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward, stressing that community cooperation is essential in securing arrests and preventing further attacks.
The names of the deceased have not yet been released, as families are still being notified. Police say updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.
UPDATE: The number of the deceased has risen to 12. The 12th person died in hospital on saturday afternoon.
