South African police gather at the scene of a mass shooting where gunmen killed nine and injured at least 10 at a pub in Bekkersdal, South Africa, December 21, 2025. ALFONSO NQUNJANA / AP
Nine people have died and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, December 21, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 1 am in the township of Bekkersdal, which is located 46 kilometers West of Johannesburg. It is the second mass shooting in South Africa in three weeks.
About 12 unknown suspects in a white minibus and a silver sedan opened fire at pub patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern, in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal, and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene, according to police.
"Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen," the police said of the incident that left nine people dead and 10 hospitalized. Major General Fred Kekana, the acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, said that at the scene the gunmen, some of whom wore balaclavas, had one AK-47 rifle and several 9-millimeter pistols.
