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Free State police have launched a manhunt for a group of men who ran amuck in Harrismith, shooting up several taverns and killing one person in night of mayhem.
Police said the drama started at around 21.40 on Saturday at a tavern in Intabazwe township where armed men wearing balaclavas robbed a motorist of his VW Polo.
Spokesperson, Brigadier Motantsi Makhele, said the vehicle was later recovered about 3 km from the scene.
He said a little later that evening a vehicle matching the description of that used by the attackers pulled up at a second tavern in the area and started shooting from the street as they entered the premises.
Makhele said the patrons were ordered to lie on the ground and were robbed of their belongings while cash was taken from the till.
He said three men entered a third tavern in Khubeka Street in Harrismith just before 2 AM on Sunday morning, and ordered patrons to lie down.
"They took an undisclosed amount of money from the cash register and robbed patrons of their belongings including cell phones as well as liquor.
"In the process, five people were shot, resulting in one fatality at the scene and another in the hospital," Brigadier Makhele said.
Three other people are still being treated in the hospital.
