South African police collect on the scene of a mass taking pictures the place gunmen killed 9 and injured at the least 10 in a pub in Bekkersdal, South Africa, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025.
Alfonso Nqunjana/AP
conceal caption
toggle caption
Alfonso Nqunjana/AP
9 folks have died and at the least 10 others have been wounded after a bunch of gunmen carried out a taking pictures at a South African pub through the early hours of Sunday, authorities stated.
The incident occurred simply earlier than 1 a.m. within the township of Bekkersdal which is positioned 46 kilometers (28 miles) west of Johannesburg. It’s the second mass taking pictures to occur in South Africa in three weeks.
About 12 unknown suspects in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan opened fireplace at pub patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern, within the Tambo part of Bekkersdal and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene based on police.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” the police stated of the incident that left 9 folks useless and 10 hospitalized.
Provincial police commissioner Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana informed SABC tv that one of many deceased was a driver from a web based car-hailing service who had been outdoors the pub.
A manhunt for the suspects within the a number of gunshot occasion has been initiated by Gauteng Critical and Violent Crime Investigations in collaboration with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit.
There have been a number of mass shootings at bars — typically known as shebeens or taverns in South Africa — in recent times, together with a mass taking pictures carried out by a number of suspects in an unlicensed bar close to the South African capital that left at the least 12 folks useless and 13 injured earlier this month.
One other taking pictures killed 16 folks within the Johannesburg township of Soweto in 2022. On the identical day, 4 folks have been killed in a mass taking pictures at a bar in one other province.
With nearly 26,000 homicides in 2024, or greater than 70 per day on common, South Africa has one of many highest murder charges on this planet. Firearms are by far the main reason for demise in homicides. Though the nation of 62 million has comparatively stringent gun management legal guidelines, officers say many murders are carried out utilizing unlawful firearms.
