Nine people were killed and 10 others injured in a mass shooting at a tavern in Bekkersdal, near Johannesburg, in the early hours of Sunday, 21 December 2025.
The attack took place just before 1 AM at a licensed tavern in the Tambo section, where around 12 unknown suspects arrived in a white kombi and a silver sedan.
According to police, the assailants opened fire on patrons and continued shooting indiscriminately as people tried to flee.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj-Gen Fred Kekana told broadcaster Newzroom Afrika that the attackers, armed with pistols and an AK-47, were “unprovoked.” The motive for the attack remains unclear.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Police figures show that an average of 63 people were killed each day between April and September this year, with many murders linked to arguments, robberies, and gang-related violence. He said:
“The poor patrons were just enjoying themselves when people came and shot.”
Two of the victims were shot outside the tavern while trying to escape, and a third was a taxi driver who had dropped off a passenger nearby, Maj-Gen Fred Kekana said.
Speaking at the scene, the deputy mayor of the local municipality, Nontombi Molatlhegi, said residents were too afraid to speak out or identify the perpetrators.
She added that the police were under-resourced and stretched too thin, calling for the military to step in to protect the community.
South Africa has around three million legally owned firearms, but experts say there may be an equal number of unlicensed guns in circulation across the country, which has a population of 63 million.
The Bekkersdal attack follows another recent mass shooting in the country. Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including a child, were killed in a hostel near Pretoria.
More: BBC News
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