Multiple gunmen kill 12 in Johannesburg informal settlement

More than ten suspects exited a minibus and moved through an informal settlement in Johannesburg's Cleveland suburb shortly after 11 p.m. on Tuesday, opening fire on residents at several locations, police said. The attack left twelve people dead – nine men and three women – and nine others wounded. Eleven victims died at the scene and a twelfth succumbed to injuries in hospital.

Authorities reported that the shooters were dropped off in the settlement, carried out the assault, and fled in the same vehicle. A search for the suspects is under way, but no arrests have been made.

"There are a lot of moving parts here so it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what is driving the issues," council member Neuren Pietersen told eNCA TV from the scene.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said specialist crime-intelligence officers were deployed to investigate, and provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni described the attackers as "heartless" while declining to link the incident to illegal mining until the inquiry is complete.

The incident follows a series of high-profile mass shootings in South Africa, including two in December that together killed more than 20 people. Such attacks are often associated with criminal gangs that contest control over illicit mining operations and other underground economies in the Johannesburg area.

Informal settlements, which consist of unplanned housing structures, are common around major South African cities and are frequently affected by gang-related violence. The government has recently deployed the army to certain high-risk zones in an effort to curb organized-crime violence.