Johannesburg, December 21, 2025: At least nine people were killed and 10 others wounded in a mass shooting at a pub in South Africa during the early hours of Sunday, police said, in the second such attack to hit the country in less than a month.
The incident occurred shortly before 1 a.m. at the KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal township, about 46 kilometres west of Johannesburg. According to police, around 12 unidentified suspects arrived at the scene in a white minibus and a silver sedan and opened fire on patrons inside and outside the tavern. The assailants continued shooting indiscriminately as they fled, with some victims reportedly shot randomly in nearby streets.
Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana told SABC television that among the deceased was a driver working for an online ride-hailing service who had been outside the pub at the time of the attack. A manhunt has been launched, led by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations in coordination with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, to track down those responsible.
The latest shooting adds to a troubling pattern of violent attacks at bars, commonly known as shebeens or taverns, across South Africa 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 capital, while a separate attack in Soweto in 2022 claimed 16 lives on the same day that four others were killed in another province.
South Africa continues to grapple with extremely high levels of violent crime. In 2024 alone, the country recorded nearly 26,000 homicides — an average of more than 70 per day — placing it among the nations with the highest homicide rates globally. Firearms remain the leading cause of homicide deaths, with authorities noting that many crimes are committed using illegal weapons despite the country’s relatively strict gun control laws.
