South Africa: Shooting at birthday party leaves 8 dead

South African police on Monday said they are on the hunt for two gunmen who opened fire on guests celebrating a birthday party in Gqeberha — formerly Port Elizabeth — on the country's eastern coast.

According to the provincial police chief, eight people were killed while another three were injured in the incident which took place in the Kwazakele neighborhood on Sunday evening.

What police have said

Provincial Commissioner Nomthetheleli Mene said in a statement that the owner of the house had been celebrating his birthday when two gunmen entered the premises and began firing at guests.

Seven people were killed while another person succumbed to their injuries in hospital a short while later. Police said the man celebrating his birthday was among those killed.

The unkown gunmen fled the scene and are still on the loose, while a team of investigators has been tasked with tracking down the suspects as quickly as possible.

"These victims were killed by criminals, and we will not rest until we find out what happened and who was responsible for (this) callous and cold-blooded attack on these unsuspecting victims," Mene said. 

South Africa and mass shootings

South Africa has among the world's highest rates of murder with around 20,000 people killed each year out of a population of 60 million people.

Mass shootings — incidents where three or more people are killed in a single attack — have been on the rise in recent years according to regional think tank, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

The group said that in the period of 2017 to 2020, police recorded 314 mass shooting incidents, which it says was an increase of 50% for this specific category of crime.

In July last year, 19 people were killed in mass shootings within hours of one another in Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg.