Police detain 11 suspects after deadly tavern attack near Johannesburg

Eleven people have been arrested in connection with a mass shooting at a tavern in South Africa that claimed nine lives on December 21, police told BBC.

The attack took place at around 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT on Saturday) at a tavern in Bekkersdal, near Johannesburg, when 12 unidentified gunmen opened fire on patrons. Following the incident, police launched a large-scale manhunt to track down those responsible.

Speaking on Wednesday, provincial deputy police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said that nine of the arrested suspects are nationals of Lesotho, one is from Mozambique, and another detainee is believed to be a South African mineworker.

South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world, frequently sees killings linked to disputes, robberies, and gang-related violence. While the tavern attack initially appeared to be unprovoked, preliminary investigations now suggest the motive may be connected to turf wars involving illegal mining activities.

During the shooting, the gunmen continued firing as people tried to flee the premises, killing two individuals outside the tavern as well as a taxi driver who had just dropped off a passenger nearby.

Police said several unlicensed firearms, including an AK-47 rifle, were recovered from the suspects at the time of their arrest.

According to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert of the South African Gunowners’ Association, there are approximately three million legally owned firearms in South Africa, with at least an equal number of unlicensed weapons in circulation.

Although 2025 has seen a decrease in reported mass shootings, there has been a sharp rise since 2020 in incidents where four or more people are killed or injured, Claire Taylor, a researcher at the gun-control advocacy group Gun Free South Africa, told the BBC.

Licensed taverns and illegal drinking establishments, locally known as shebeens, are among the most common locations for such attacks.

The Bekkersdal shooting came just two weeks after another deadly incident at the Saulsville Hostel in Pretoria, where eleven people, including a three-year-old child, were killed.

By Tamilla Hasanova