KEY POINTS
• Nine people were killed and at least 10 wounded when gunmen attacked a tavern in Bekkersdal near Johannesburg early on Sunday.
• Police say about 12 suspects, armed with an AK-47 and pistols, opened fire before shooting randomly as they fled.
• The attack follows other recent mass shootings at South African bars, highlighting persistent gun violence driven by illegal firearms.
Nine people were killed and at least 10 others wounded after a group of armed men opened fire at a tavrern in the South African township of Bekkersdal in the early hours of Sunday, deepening fears over a resurgence of deadly attacks on social venues.
The shooting happened shortly before 1am at the KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal, about 46 kilometres west of Johannesburg. Residents were jolted awake by bursts of gunfire that, according to police, continued even as the attackers fled the scene. It was the second mass shooting reported in the country in less than three weeks.
Police said about a dozen suspects arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan before spraying bullets at patrons inside the tavern. As they sped away, some of the gunmen fired indiscriminately into nearby streets, striking people who had no connection to the venue.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” police said, confirming that nine people died and 10 others were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.
Maj Gen Fred Kekana, the acting Gauteng provincial police commissioner, told reporters at the scene that the attackers were heavily armed. Some wore balaclavas and were carrying an AK-47 rifle as well as several 9mm pistols, suggesting a level of coordination that has become familiar in recent attacks.
Victims caught in crossfire as police launch manhunt
Authorities have yet to release details of all those killed, but police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said one of the victims was an e-hailing driver who had just dropped off a passenger near the tavern.
“He was shot and killed,” she said, describing how people unconnected to the gathering were swept up in the violence.
The motive for the attack remains unclear. A manhunt has been launched, led by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations working with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, as investigators comb the area for forensic evidence and track possible escape routes used by the suspects.
Sunday’s shooting adds to a grim list of attacks on bars and taverns, known locally as shebeens, which have become frequent targets in recent years. Earlier this month, at least 12 people were killed and 13 injured in a mass shooting at an unlicensed bar near the South African capital. In 2022, 16 people died in a similar attack at a tavern in Soweto, while four others were killed the same day in a separate incident in another province.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, said the two recent shootings in Gauteng warranted a special task force to investigate organised criminal networks operating in the province.
Bekkersdal itself sits amid abandoned mine shafts and is notorious for illegal mining, an underground economy that has fuelled gang activity and the spread of illicit firearms. Community leaders have long warned that poverty, weak policing and easy access to weapons have turned parts of the township into flashpoints for violent crime.
South Africa continues to grapple with one of the world’s highest homicide rates. Police data shows almost 26,000 people were killed in 2024, an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms account for most of those deaths. Despite relatively strict gun control laws, officials say illegal weapons remain widely available and are routinely used in serious crimes.
