Gunmen opened fire in a township outside the South African city, killing six men and a woman as police launched a manhunt amid ongoing concerns over violent crime.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa: Gunmen shot dead seven people in a township outside Cape Town early on Saturday in an attack police believe was linked to extortion, the latest in a series of deadly shootings to hit the country.
Police said six men and one woman, aged between 30 and 50, were killed in the shooting in Marikana, an area on the outskirts of the city, shortly after midnight. Three other people were wounded and taken to the hospital.
“The incident is believed to be linked to extortion in the area,” police said in a statement, adding that the attackers fled the scene and no arrests had yet been made. A manhunt is underway and investigations are continuing.
The attack comes amid growing concern over violent crime in South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, where organised criminal networks and corruption remain deeply entrenched.
Police data show that an average of about 63 people were killed each day between July and September last year. The Cape Flats, where Saturday’s shooting took place, is particularly notorious for gang-related violence, with more than 2,000 murders recorded in the area in the first nine months of 2025.
The country was also rocked by two mass shootings in December, when gunmen attacked a hostel and a bar, killing around two dozen people, including several children.
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.
