Twelve people, including three children, have been killed in a mass shooting at an illegal tavern inside a hostel in Saulsville, Atteridgeville, with police hunting at least three gunmen and the community reeling from one of Pretoria’s deadliest attacks in recent years.
What police say happened in Saulsville
According to the South African Police Service, three unidentified men stormed the unlicensed tavern at about 04:00 on Saturday, 6 December 2025, and opened fire on patrons.
The attack took place inside a hostel complex and the shooters allegedly fired indiscriminately before fleeing the scene.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the police were alerted at around 06:00 and found a scene of devastation.
Ten people were declared dead on site, while others later died in hospital, pushing the death toll to 12. Thirteen people were taken to Kalafong Hospital with gunshot wounds.
Mathe confirmed that detectives have registered 12 counts of murder and 14 of attempted murder. The youngest victim was a three-year-old child of the shebeen owner; the other two minors were aged 12 and 16.
“We are not aware yet what could have been the motive, but our detectives are on the ground,” she said, adding that investigators are working with witnesses and community members to identify suspects.
Illegal taverns under the spotlight after Saulsville mass shooting
Police and city officials say the shooting has again highlighted the risks posed by unlicensed liquor outlets operating in crowded residential spaces.
Mathe noted that many violent incidents take place in such venues, where alcohol abuse, unresolved disputes and illegal firearms often intersect. Between April and September this year, police closed almost 12 000 unlicensed liquor premises nationwide.
City of Tshwane mayoral committee member for community safety Hannes Coetzee, who visited the scene on Saturday, expressed the metro’s “deep sorrow”, saying the killings were a painful moment for Saulsville and Tshwane as a whole.
He described illegal taverns as a significant driver of crime and disorder and said Operation Shanela, led by SAPS and supported by the Tshwane Metro Police Department, is prioritising crackdowns on such establishments.
Coetzee said the City would continue its clampdown on illegal liquor outlets, by-law violations and other activities that place residents at risk, stressing that public-safety operations are being intensified around known hotspots.
Pattern of tavern attacks across South Africa
The Saulsville mass shooting is the latest in a string of attacks at taverns and shebeens across the country this year.
A review of 2025 incidents shows at least 40 deaths in similar shootings, including cases in Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Bronkhorstspruit, where gunmen targeted crowded venues with automatic weapons.
Political parties and civil-society organisations have warned that these attacks point to deeper problems in policing and crime intelligence.
In a statement, ActionSA said the Saulsville killings formed part of a “deepening pattern of violent criminality across Gauteng”, arguing that crime syndicates and extortion networks have become more sophisticated while SAPS intelligence capabilities have deteriorated.
The party called for specialised anti-gang units, rebuilt crime-intelligence structures and measurable performance targets for station commanders and provincial SAPS leadership, saying Gauteng is facing an “organised-crime emergency” and communities are paying the price for the state’s failure to maintain order.
Concerns over trust, safety and witness protection
Community leaders and safety advocates say residents’ fear of retaliation remains a major hurdle in solving mass shootings, especially when attackers are known locally.
Witnesses are often reluctant to come forward, citing a lack of trust in the police and previous cases where whistleblowers have been threatened or killed.
Provincial authorities, including Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi, have condemned the murders and promised that specialised units are following strong leads to track down the suspects.
Lesufi has linked the Saulsville killings to broader concerns about illegal liquor outlets operating as magnets for criminal activity and has pledged intensified joint operations targeting both legal and illegal establishments that flout the law.
Police have not yet announced any arrests or named suspects in the Saulsville mass shooting. Detectives from SAPS and the Tshwane Metro Police Department are continuing door-to-door interviews, statement-taking and forensic work at the hostel and surrounding areas, while appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
