JOHANNESBURG, South Africa: Gunmen opened fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday in a township in South Africa over the weekend, killing eight and wounding three others, police said on Monday.

The birthday celebrant was among those gunned down in the mass shooting in the southern port city of Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth.

'The owner of the house was celebrating his birthday when two unknown gunmen entered the yard' on Sunday night 'and started shooting at the guests' at random, police said in a statement.

'Eight people died while three others are still fighting for their lives in hospital,' they added. 'The homeowner is among the deceased.'

The motive of the attack is yet unknown.

Nomthetheleli Mene, the provincial police chief for Eastern Cape province, condemned the killings as 'a blatant disregard for human life.'

An investigation into the attack has been launched and police said a manhunt for the perpetrators was underway.

Shootings are common in South Africa, which has one of the world's highest murder rates, fueled by gang violence and alcohol.

The country last year saw a string of shootings that killed nearly two dozen people at separate bars in working-class suburbs in Johannesburg and in the eastern city of Pietermaritzburg.

Police Minister Bheki Cele, national police commissioner Fannie Masemola, and crime experts were scheduled to visit the scene of the slaughter later on Monday.