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Police are on the hunt for gunmen who shot and killed five people at a tavern in Olievenhoutbosch in Centurion.
- Five people were killed, and 10 others injured in a tavern shooting in Centurion on Friday night.
- Police said armed suspects entered the establishment with rifles and pistols, firing randomly.
- The motive for the shooting is not yet clear.
A group of armed suspects stormed a tavern in an Olievenhoutbosch informal settlement in Centurion on Friday night, leaving five people dead.
Police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, said ten other people were injured.
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“It is reported that the suspects came to a tavern and started shooting randomly using rifles and pistols, without saying a word,” Masondo said on Saturday.
He said initial reports were that three people had been injured, however police had since confirmed that it was 10.
He said two of the five people killed were women.
“The motive for the shooting [is] unknown at this stage. The police have opened a case of murder and attempted murder for investigation. The provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit is investigating. Police are on [the] lookout for the approximately 10 suspects.”
He urged anyone with information that could help in the investigation, or assist in apprehending the suspects, to contact their nearest police station, or call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Masondo added: “The person owning the tavern has been taken to the police station because he is suspected of being a foreign national, when he was asked for documents, he couldn’t provide these. He has been detained for being an [alleged] illegal immigrant.”
Masondo said that crime was a challenge in the informal settlement and police had conducted a number of measures to combat this, including Operation Shanela.
The operation consists of regular stop-and-searches, roadblocks, vehicle checkpoints, high visibility patrols including foot patrols, the tracing of wanted suspects with a focus on murder and rape suspects, compliance inspections at liquor outlets, and second-hand goods dealers.
*EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with new information from police on casualties and an arrest. (19/07/25)
