Gunmen unleashed a barrage of gunfire at a crowded township tavern west of Johannesburg, South Africa, early Sunday, killing nine people and injuring at least 10 others, police said, in the country’s second mass shooting in less than three weeks.
The attack erupted just before 1 a.m. in Bekkersdal, a township about 46 kilometers (28 miles) west of Johannesburg, when multiple assailants arrived at the KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo section of the community, authorities said. Police said the attackers arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan and opened fire on patrons inside the venue before continuing to shoot indiscriminately as they escaped.
Police said several victims were struck outside the tavern as the gunmen fled. “Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” police said in a statement describing the aftermath of the attack.
Africanews said police had not immediately released details about the identities of the victims. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili later confirmed that one of those killed was an e-hailing driver who had just dropped off a passenger near the tavern and was caught in the gunfire.
“He was shot and killed,” Muridili told The Associated Press.
Provincial police commissioner Fred Kekana separately confirmed that the driver had been outside the tavern at the time of the shooting, Sky News said. Authorities said investigators believe about 12 suspects were involved in the coordinated attack.
A wide-ranging manhunt was launched by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations, working alongside the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, as officers sought to identify the suspects and trace the vehicles used in the assault.
The Bekkersdal shooting adds to a growing pattern of deadly attacks at bars and taverns—often known locally as shebeens—that have unsettled communities across South Africa. Earlier this month, gunmen stormed an unlicensed bar near the capital, killing at least 12 people and wounding 13 others. In 2022, 16 people were killed in a single tavern attack in Soweto, while four more died in a separate bar shooting in another province on the same day.
Security experts say taverns have increasingly become flashpoints for extreme violence because they operate late into the night, draw large crowds and often lack formal security. Investigators have not yet disclosed a motive for the Bekkersdal attack, and police have not said whether it was linked to organized crime, gang activity or targeted retaliation.
South Africa continues to grapple with persistently high levels of violent crime. Police data show nearly 26,000 homicides were recorded nationwide in 2024—more than 70 killings a day on average—placing the country among those with the highest homicide rates globally. Firearms remain the leading cause of death in homicides, and officials say many shootings involve illegally obtained weapons despite strict gun control laws.
Authorities said patrols were stepped up in Bekkersdal following the attack, while community leaders renewed calls for intelligence-driven policing and tougher action against illegal firearms to stem the tide of violence targeting public gathering places.
