At least nine people were killed and ten others injured early Sunday in a concentrated gun attack at a tavern in the Bekkersdal township, located southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and economic hub. Police have launched an extensive manhunt as authorities investigate the motive behind the violent incident.
Gunmen Storm Tavern, Open Fire on Patrons
Local law enforcement said the shooting unfolded at around 1 a.m. when around a dozen unidentified armed men in a white minibus and a silver sedan drove up to the licensed KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal. The suspects opened fire on customers inside the establishment before continuing to shoot at people on nearby streets as they fled the scene.
Some victims were hit while outside the venue, police noted, with one of the deceased identified as a driver for an online transport service who had been parked outside the tavern at the time.
Police Response and Broader Crime Concerns
The South African Police Service (SAPS) confirmed that wounded individuals have been taken to medical facilities and that no suspects have yet been apprehended. Provincial crime units, including serious and violent crime investigators, are leading a nationwide search for the attackers.
This shooting marks the second mass gun attack in the country within weeks, following a similar tragedy earlier in December that killed a dozen people at an unlicensed bar near Pretoria. South Africa continues to grapple with high violent crime and firearm-related deaths despite stringent gun laws, often linked to illegal weapons supply and socio-economic challenges.
