South African security operatives have launched a manhunt for at least 10 suspects involved in a mass shooting at an informal settlement that killed 12 people.

The suspects opened fire on Jumpers Informal Settlement, a densely populated area in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Residents have linked the attack to conflict over control of mining areas between illegal mining gangs, according to the BBC. The police also stated that, although this is yet to be confirmed, it cannot be ruled out.

The Cleveland Police Commissioner, Tommy Mthombeni, admitted that the settlement’s proximity to illegal mining areas made it highly susceptible to violence from rival gangs. He spoke when he visited the crime scene on Wednesday.

“As you know, this area is adjacent to the illegal mining area. We are having those suspicions,” he was quoted as saying.

Such attacks are not unusual, as illegal mining in South Africa has become increasingly associated with violent turf wars, extortion, and clashes between rival groups competing for access to mineral-rich sites. The groups, known locally as “zama zamas,” often operate as heavily armed criminal networks.

Mr Mthombeni described the attack which killed nine men and three women in Jumpers as “heartless” and “barbaric.” Eleven of the victims died at the scene, and the last died in the hospital.

“The attackers moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” the local police department also said in a statement.

“It is alleged that more than 10 suspects were dropped off by a white Toyota Quantum near a petrol station in Cleveland.

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“The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,” the statement added.

Reports of mass shootings in South Africa have been escalating in recent years. Last December, eleven people, including a three-year-old child, were killed in a mass shooting at a hostel in Saulsville township, Pretoria. Three weeks after the incident, a group of gunmen opened fire on a pub in Bekkersdal, West of Johannesburg, and killed nine people.

South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

South Africa searching for people who shot 12 in mass shooting

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