At least nine killed in mass shooting in South Africa
At least nine people were killed and ten others injured in a shooting in the township of Bekkersdal, west of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Armed men in two vehicles reportedly opened fire on a tavern in the town and continued shooting as they fled the scene. A manhunt for suspects involved in the shooting has been launched, the South African Police Force (SAPS) said in a message on X.
South African public broadcaster SABC initially reported that 10 people had been killed, but later revised the toll in an article on X.
“Ten people are dead. We don’t know who they are,” a police spokesperson in Gauteng province, where the crime took place, told AFP earlier.
The incident occurred “shortly before 1:00 a.m. local time” (11:00 p.m. GMT) in the municipality of Tambo, leaving “nine dead and ten injured”, the SAPS said.
“It was reported that approximately 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi and a silver sedan opened fire on patrons of the tavern and continued shooting randomly as they fled the scene,” police said.
“The tavern is approved,” the press release added.
The motive for the shooting remains unclear and authorities are working to identify the victims.
“Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations, in conjunction with the Crime Detection Unit, have launched a manhunt for suspects involved in a multiple shooting that occurred in the early hours of Bekkersdal on Sunday 21 December 2025,” police said.
“We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime-fighting and management team has arrived,” Fred Kekana, acting commissioner of Gauteng province, where the crime took place, was quoted as saying by AFP.
The Independent has contacted the South African Police for comment.
“The provincial crime scene management team has arrived, and a team from the local criminal records center is here, as are our serious crime investigation team, criminal intelligence and provincial criminal detective team are on site,” Mr Kekana told SABC.
On December 6, gunmen killed 12 people, including a three-year-old child, at a Pretoria hostel that was illegally selling alcohol.
