Eleven suspects arrested over deadly South African tavern shooting

Forensic officials work at the scene of an early morning shooting in Bekkersdal township, south-west of Johannesburg, South Africa December 21, 2025. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Ten others were wounded in Sunday’s shooting in which about a dozen gunmen in a minibus and a car targeted a tavern in the township of Bekkersdal. There have been several mass shootings at bars – sometimes called shebeens or taverns in South Africa – in recent years.

Police said the suspects arrested were found with unlicensed firearms, including four handguns and an AK-47 rifle.

Fred Kekana, acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, told reporters that police had found cartridges and live ammunition of the “same type” of firearms at the shooting scene in Bekkersdal. They were sent for testing to determine if they were used in the shooting.

Authorities also arrested a South African mine employee who faces charges related to harbouring undocumented tenants and obstructing justice.

 

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