Eight dead as gunmen storm birthday party and randomly shoot dancing guests

30 January 2023 , 13:22

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Bystanders wait behind a police tape marking the scene of a mass shooting in Gqeberha (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Eight people have died after two gunmen entered a home and opened fire on a birthday party in South Africa on Sunday evening.

Witnesses described horrifying scenes of a bloodied garden piled with bodies after the murderers "randomly shot at guests" who were happily dancing at a house party.

The massacre happened in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and the two unknown attackers are still on the run, according to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu.

Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the scene and said: "We know everybody is angry and would love that we respond quickly, but we request a little bit of space so that we do the work thoroughly."

Members of the Forensic Pathology Services stand near their vehicles on the scene of a mass shooting (AFP via Getty Images)

Among those killed were the homeowner, three women and four men.

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“There was a birthday celebration at the house and, the next minute, people from outside came in and there was shooting,” Colonel Naidu said of the incident.

Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Nomthetheleli Lillian Mene also said: "These victims were killed by criminals, and we will not rest until we find out what happened and who was responsible for [this] callous and cold-blooded attack on these unsuspecting victims."

South Africa has been grappling with a rise in gun crime in the last decade, but last year was particularly bad with the murder rate rising by 11 per cent, with 70 homicides a day.

Crime analysts say the killings are motivated by gang conflicts, political ambitions or rivalries in the minibus taxi and illegal gold-mining sectors.

In July, 25 people were shot dead in four separate incidents in taverns, including one attack which killed 16.

According to the campaign group Gun Free South Africa, there are three million guns registered in the country and many more unregistered.

And close to 10,000 police guns have been stolen or gone missing over the past decade.

Criminologists say on average 23 people are killed with guns in South Africa each day, which is up from 18 people six years ago.

Rachel Hagan