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Shooting in South African township leaves 7 dead

By The Standard January 17, 2026

Source: The Standard

Shooting in South African township leaves 7 dead

Police officials stand behind crime scene tape.[AFP]

Gunmen killed seven people in a township outside the South African city of Cape Town early on Saturday in an incident believed to be extortion-related, police said.The attack is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have shaken the crime-weary country of 63 million people."Police are investigating a shooting incident in Marikana that claimed the lives of seven people -- one woman and six men aged between 30 and 50," police said in a statement.Follow The Standard
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on WhatsAppThree people were also wounded in the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and was "believed to be linked to extortion in the area", it said."The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made," police said, adding that a manhunt had been launched and investigations were ongoing.South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
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on WhatsApp

The attack is the latest in a string of mass shootings that have shaken the crime-weary country of 63 million people."Police are investigating a shooting incident in Marikana that claimed the lives of seven people -- one woman and six men aged between 30 and 50," police said in a statement.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsAppThree people were also wounded in the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and was "believed to be linked to extortion in the area", it said."The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made," police said, adding that a manhunt had been launched and investigations were ongoing.South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

"Police are investigating a shooting incident in Marikana that claimed the lives of seven people -- one woman and six men aged between 30 and 50," police said in a statement.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsAppThree people were also wounded in the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and was "believed to be linked to extortion in the area", it said."The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made," police said, adding that a manhunt had been launched and investigations were ongoing.South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

Three people were also wounded in the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and was "believed to be linked to extortion in the area", it said."The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made," police said, adding that a manhunt had been launched and investigations were ongoing.South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

"The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made," police said, adding that a manhunt had been launched and investigations were ongoing.South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

South Africa, the continent's most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

On average, around 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year, according to police data.Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

Two separate mass shootings in December, in which gunmen stormed a hostel and a bar, left two dozen people dead, including several children.Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

Saturday's attack occurred in the city's Cape Flats area, which has a reputation for gang violence and where over 2,000 murders were recorded in the first nine months of 2025.Follow The Standard
channel
on WhatsApp

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