9 Dead In South African Pub Shooting, Second Mass Shooting in Three Weeks

Nine people were killed when gunmen opened fire at a South African pub, the country’s second mass shooting in three weeks.

Nine people were killed and ten others injured when gunmen opened fire at a pub in the South African township of Bekkersdal, the second mass shooting in South Africa in three weeks.

The shooting occurred on Dec. 22, just before 1 a.m., when about 12 unknown suspects in a white minibus and a silver sedan opened fire on patrons at KwaNoxolo Tavern in the Tambo area of Bekkersdal, located about 28 miles west of Johannesburg, NPR reported. The gunmen continued to shoot randomly as they fled, police said.

“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” police said.

Two victims were shot outside the tavern while trying to escape, and a third, a taxi driver, was killed after dropping off a passenger nearby. Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations, working with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, has launched a manhunt for the suspects involved in the shooting, which authorities say was unprovoked.

“The poor patrons were just enjoying themselves when people came and shot,” said deputy provincial police commissioner, Maj-Gen Fred Kekana.

This incident is the latest in a series of recent mass shootings at South African bars, including an earlier attack at an unlicensed bar near the capital that killed at least 12 people and injured 13.

With nearly 26,000 homicides in 2024 — averaging over 70 per day — South Africa ranks among the countries with the highest murder rates in the world. Between April and September, an average of 63 people were killed daily.

Firearms are the leading cause of homicide, and despite strict gun control laws, many killings involve illegal guns. Murders often stem from arguments, robberies, or gang violence, though the motive for the latest attack remains unclear.

Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, a resident said that gunfire has become a common occurrence at night in Bekkersdal.

“Criminals, they do as they please here,” the unnamed man said. “These guns, they sound each and every evening… as soon as it’s dusk, we know that gunshots are about to sound and they will sound severely. It is terrorising our communities.”