At least nine people were killed and ten others wounded in a brutal shooting at the KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal township early on Sunday morning, 21 December 2025, sparking fresh outrage and renewed demands for military intervention in the violence-plagued area.
Eyewitnesses say a group of approximately 12 gunmen arrived in a white minibus and a silver sedan shortly before 1 a.m., stormed the licensed tavern in the Tambo section, and opened fire indiscriminately on patrons. The attackers continued shooting at people in the streets as they fled the scene, leaving a trail of bodies and chaos.
South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed the death toll and said the Serious and Violent Crimes unit, together with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, has launched a full-scale manhunt. No arrests have been made and the motive remains under investigation.
The massacre is the second mass shooting at a drinking establishment in South Africa in less than three weeks, following the killing of 12 people – including children – at an unlicensed tavern near Pretoria on 6 December.
Bekkersdal residents, speaking anonymously to media, are pointing the finger at illegal miners – known locally as “zama zamas” – who operate in the township’s abandoned gold mine shafts. They claim the shooting was the result of a turf war between rival mining gangs, with innocent residents caught in the crossfire.
“We all know it’s the zama zamas behind this,” one resident said. “It’s not the zama zamas who die; it’s us, the people who just want to live.”
But the most explosive allegation is against the police themselves. Residents accuse local SAPS officers of being “in cahoots” with the illegal mining syndicates, claiming officers are paid to turn a blind eye to criminal activity.
“The police fade away with time without notifying the community,” one resident said. “Even if they have the right information, they won’t act because they are beneficiaries to these people.”
Another added: “Every time we stand up, the police defend these criminals instead of us.”
Frustrated and feeling abandoned, residents and the Rand West City Local Municipality are now calling for the immediate deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to restore order in Bekkersdal.
“We have had enough,” a community member told reporters. “We need the army here to help stop this bloodshed.”
The area has been a hotspot for zama zama-related violence for years, with gang shootouts, illegal firearms, and organised crime flourishing in the shadow of derelict mines. Previous calls for SANDF assistance have been made, and the defence force has been deployed nationally in the past under Operation Prosper to combat illegal mining.
Community leaders say the latest attack has shattered any remaining trust in local policing and made clear that drastic measures are needed to protect ordinary residents.
Police have appealed to anyone with information to contact the Crime Stop number (08600 10111) or report anonymously via MySAPS app.
The shooting has once again thrust South Africa’s escalating tavern violence and the deep-rooted problem of illegal mining into the national spotlight, with many asking how long communities will have to endure the cycle of bloodshed.