At least 12 people were killed as a group of “more than 10” suspects opened fire in an informal settlement in South Africa on Tuesday evening, police said.
The South African Police Service said on Wednesday that the group of suspects had been dropped off by a white van outside the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, a Johannesburg suburb, at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.
“The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” SAPS said in a statement posted on social media.
Police said a manhunt had been launched for the suspects. No arrests had yet been made, nor was there a suspected motive, police said.
A general view of densely packed residential housing in Alexandra township in the foreground and the Sandton central business district, Johannesburg’s financial district in the background, in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 21, 2026.
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
Eight men and three women were declared dead at the scene, while another injured man was transferred to a hospital, where he later died, officials said. Nine others were transferred to hospitals with injuries from gunshots, police said.
“Provincial and district detectives, supported by crime intelligence and forensic experts, have been mobilised to investigate the incident and track down the suspects,” SAPS said in a statement.