A horrific mass shooting at a township pub in South Africa has left nine people dead and at least ten others wounded, authorities have confirmed.
Chaos in the Early Hours
The attack unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, 21 December 2025, at the KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal. This township is situated approximately 46 kilometres (28 miles) west of Johannesburg.
Provincial police reported that around twelve unknown suspects, travelling in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan, opened fire on patrons. The gunmen continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene, with some victims being shot in the streets.
Victims and the Hunt for Gunmen
Provincial police commissioner, Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, told SABC television that among the deceased was a driver for an online car-hailing service who had been outside the establishment.
A major manhunt has been launched by the Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations unit, working alongside the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, to find the suspects responsible for this multiple gunshot event.
A Pattern of Bar Violence
This tragedy marks the second mass shooting to occur in South Africa within a three-week period. It follows a pattern of similar attacks at bars, often referred to locally as shebeens or taverns.
Earlier this month, at least twelve people were killed and thirteen injured in a shooting at an unlicensed bar near the nation's capital. In 2022, a shooting in the Johannesburg township of Soweto claimed sixteen lives, with four more killed in a separate bar attack in another province on the same day.
South Africa suffers from one of the world's highest homicide rates, with nearly 26,000 recorded in 2024 alone – an average of over 70 per day. Firearms are the leading cause of death in these killings. Despite the country's relatively stringent gun control laws for its 62 million citizens, officials state that many murders are committed with illegal weapons.
