Bekkersdal – Nine people were killed, and at least 10 others were injured after gunmen opened fire at a tavern in South Africa during the early hours of Sunday.
South African authorities said the shooting happened shortly before 1am in Bekkersdal township, about 46 kilometres west of Johannesburg. It is the second mass shooting recorded in South Africa within three weeks.
Police reported that about 12 unidentified suspects arrived at KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal using a white minibus and a silver sedan. The group opened fire on patrons inside the pub and continued shooting as they fled the scene.
According to police, some of the victims were shot randomly in nearby streets as the attackers escaped. Nine people were confirmed dead at the scene, while at least 10 others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana told SABC television that one of the deceased was a driver working for an online car hailing service who had been outside the tavern at the time of the shooting.
A manhunt has been launched by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations working together with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit to track down the suspects.
The incident adds to a growing list of deadly attacks at taverns and shebeens in South Africa. Earlier this month, at least 12 people were killed and 13 injured in a mass shooting at an unlicensed bar near Pretoria. In 2022, 16 people were killed in a tavern shooting in Soweto, while four others died in a separate bar shooting in another province on the same day.
South Africa recorded nearly 26,000 homicides in 2024, an average of more than 70 deaths per day. Firearms remain the leading cause of death in such crimes. Despite strict gun control laws, authorities have repeatedly said many of the weapons used in violent crimes are illegally obtained, a concern that continues to resonate in neighbouring countries, including Eswatini, where cross border crime and illegal firearms remain a regional security issue.
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