Nine people were killed and 10 wounded in an early morning shooting in a township south-west of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Sunday, December 21, 2025.
The South African Police Service said on Sunday that authorities have launched a manhunt for the suspects.
The police, in a statement, said the incident occurred just before 1 a.m. local time (2300 GMT) at a licensed tavern in Johannesburg’s Bekkersdal township.
The police said 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, adding that the motive for the shooting would be determined by investigation.
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The police added that injured have been taken to medical facilities for treatment.
Bekkersdal is part of the Rand West City local municipality, whose website describes the township as being an area characterised by high levels of unemployment and poverty due to a decline in gold mining.
South Africa, Africa’s biggest economy, has one of the world’s highest murder rates, averaging about 60 a day.
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