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Manhunt underway in South Africa after nine killed, ten injured in mass shooting

Sunday, 21 December 2025 10:24 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 21 December 2025 10:24 AM ]

Police inspect the site of a mass shooting in Bekkersdal Township, South Africa, on December 21, 2025. (Photo via social media)

A manhunt is underway in South Africa after several armed men opened fire in a restaurant, killing nine people and injuring ten, police says.

The shooting took place in Bekkersdal Township just before 1 a.m. local time on Sunday (23:00 GMT on Saturday), the South African Police Service said in a statement.

“It is reported that about 12 unknown suspects in a white kombi [a minibus] and a silver sedan opened fire at restaurant patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene,” the statement added.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported that the attackers also fired at people on the streets outside the restaurant.

“We are still busy obtaining statements. Our national crime and management team has arrived,” Fred Kekana, acting police commissioner of Gauteng, told the SABC.

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He said the provincial crime scene management team, a local criminal record center team, the serious crime investigation team, the crime intelligence unit, and the provincial crime detective teams were all at the scene.

Witnesses said the suspects fired randomly at both restaurant patrons and people nearby, using assault rifles and handguns.

The attack comes just weeks after gunmen opened fire at a restaurant in a hostel in Saulsville Township, near Pretoria, killing 12 people, including a three-year-old child.

In response to the recent shootings, South African police have urged restaurant and café owners to strengthen security measures.

Murder in South Africa reached a 20-year high last year, with one killed roughly every 20 minutes, according to quarterly police crime statistics from 2024.

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