Residents wathch as South African Police Service (SAPS) officers gather at the scene of an attack at a tavern in Bekkersdal on December 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Nine people were killed when unknown gunmen opened fire at a bar outside Johannesburg early on Sunday (December 21, 2025), police said, in the second such shooting in South Africa this month.
Ten more were wounded when around a dozen men attacked the tavern at Bekkersdal, in a gold mining area around 40 kilometres (25 miles) southwest of the city, just before 1:00 am (2300 GMT).
About 12 unknown suspects in a white minibus and a silver sedan opened fire at the tavern patrons and continued shooting randomly as they fled the scene, the police said, adding the motive for the shooting would be determined by investigation.
Police initially said 10 people were killed but later revised the toll downwards.
The dead included a driver from an online car-hailing service who had been outside the bar, provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana told SABC television.
A manhunt for the attackers had been launched, police said.
South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks.
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Shootings are common and often fuelled by gang violence and competition between informal businesses, contributing to one of the highest murder rates in the world.
On December 6, gunmen stormed a hostel at Saulsville township near the capital Pretoria, killing a dozen people including a three‑year‑old child.
Police said that shooting was at a site that was illegally selling alcohol.
Many South Africans own licensed firearms for personal protection but there are many more illegal guns in circulation despite relatively strict ownership laws.
An average of 63 people were killed each day between April and September, according to police data.
Most deaths stemmed from arguments, with robberies and gang violence also driving the toll.
In one of the deadliest recent incidents, 18 relatives were shot dead at a rural homestead in the country’s Eastern Cape province in September 2024.
Published – December 21, 2025 09:57 am IST
