Atteridgeville tavern tragedy: Community claims previous shooting at establishment

Community members in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, claim that the mass shooting at a local tavern that killed 12 people on Saturday is not the first incident to occur at the establishment.

Unknown gunmen stormed the tavern at the Saulsville Hostel and opened fire on patrons at around 4am.

A total of 25 people were shot, and 12 were killed in the shooting. The deceased include minors aged three, 12 and 16.

Police have launched a manhunt for the three men involved, but the motive for the attack is currently unclear.

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Residents state that an earlier shooting incident took place at the very same tavern earlier this year.

"This is not a new thing. It happened a few months ago. That’s all I can say to you," one community member said, expressing shock at the high number of fatalities thistime around.

According to residents, during the previous incident, the tavern was closed, and the gunman is said to have fired shots at the window.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, Crezane Bosch, confirmed hearing about the previous incident at the same location.

"There has been a shooting in the exact same tavern about three months ago. This area is completely dark, and there is no working streetlight. There is also no sufficient resources at the police stations."

Bosch ighlighted the lack of basic infrastructure and police resources in the area as contributing factors to safety issues.