CAPE TOWN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- A shooting occurred in a town outside the South African city of Cape Town early on Saturday, leaving seven people dead, police said.
According to a statement from the Office of the Provincial Commissioner Western Cape, "Police are investigating a shooting incident in Marikana that claimed the lives of seven people, one woman and six men aged between 30 and 50."
"Three other men were injured in the attack," the statement added. "The injured victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment."
According to the statement, the shooting occurred shortly after midnight at around 0:15 on Saturday morning (2215 GMT Friday). "At this stage, the incident is believed to be linked to extortion in the area," said police. "The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made."
Police strongly condemned the attack in the statement, saying "the South African Police Service condemns this act of violence in the strongest terms and is committed to tracking down those responsible and ensuring they are held accountable for the crime."
Authorities have appealed for public assistance, urging anyone with information that could help the investigation to contact the police or share information anonymously via a mobile application, and said that all information will be treated as confidential.
Marikana is located in Philippi East, a large urban and semi-rural area in Cape Town's Cape Flats region, which is plagued by gang-related violence, with police statistics showing that 2,104 murders were reported to police stations in Cape Flats in the first nine months of 2025. ■