By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Peter Onyekachukwu
Seven persons have been shot dead while three others sustained injuries after gunmen stormed a township near Cape Town, South Africa, in what police believe may be linked to extortion activities.
The attack occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday in Marikana, a community located within the Cape Flats area of the city, which is notorious for gang-related violence.
Confirming the incident, South African police said the victims comprised one woman and six men aged between 30 and 50.
“Police are investigating a shooting incident in Marikana that claimed the lives of seven people,” the police said in a statement, adding that three other victims were wounded during the attack.
Authorities said preliminary investigations suggest that the shooting may be connected to extortion in the area.
“The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made,” police said, noting that a manhunt has been launched while investigations continue.
The incident is the latest in a series of deadly mass shootings that have heightened concerns over rising violent crime in South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation.
According to official police data, an average of about 63 people were killed daily between July and September last year. In December alone, two separate mass shootings—at a hostel and a bar—claimed the lives of nearly two dozen people, including children.
The Cape Flats area, where Saturday’s attack took place, recorded over 2,000 murders in the first nine months of 2025, further underscoring the scale of the security challenge facing authorities.
Police have appealed to members of the public to provide any information that could assist in tracking down the attackers.