Another 14 were wounded in the shooting in the “shebeen” in the township of Saulsville, 18 kilometers (11 miles) west of Pretoria, they said.
Police said they were looking for three so far unidentified suspects, with no motive for the shooting yet known.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with an average of 60 per day in a population of some 63 million.
“Three minors are among those deceased, which include 3- and 12-year-old boys (and a) 16-year-old female,” the South African Police Service said.
“I can confirm that a total of 25 people were shot,” police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe said, adding that 14 had been taken to hospital.
She said 10 of the victims died at the scene, while another died in hospital.
“We are having a serious challenge when it comes to these illegal and unlicensed liquor premises,” Mathe said, adding that they were where most mass shootings occur.
“Innocent people also get caught up in the crossfire,” she told public broadcaster SABC.
Shootings in South Africa are often fuelled by gang violence and alcohol.
In May, gunmen killed eight customers at a tavern in the southeastern city of Durban, while last year, 18 people in the same family were shot dead at a rural homestead in Eastern Cape Province. – DW.
