A horrific mass shooting at an unlicensed bar near South Africa's administrative capital has left a community in mourning, with at least twelve people dead and another thirteen wounded.
Details of the Saulsville Township Attack
The attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 6th December 2025, at a bar located inside a hostel in the Saulsville township, west of Pretoria. Police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe stated that at least three unknown gunmen entered the premises and began firing randomly at a group of people who were drinking. The incident happened around 4:15 a.m., but authorities were only alerted two hours later at 6 a.m.
The initial death toll was revised after a twelfth victim succumbed to injuries in hospital. Ten people died at the scene, with two more later dying in medical care. Among the deceased were three children: a 3-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl. The conditions of the thirteen injured individuals were not disclosed by police, who are actively searching for three male suspects. The motive for the killings remains unclear.
A Nation Grappling with Chronic Gun Violence
This tragedy underscores South Africa's severe and ongoing struggle with violent crime. The country has one of the highest homicide rates globally, recording more than 26,000 murders in 2024 alone—an average exceeding 70 per day. Firearms are the leading weapon used in these killings.
Despite relatively strict gun ownership laws for its 62 million citizens, authorities acknowledge that many homicides are committed with illegal weapons. Mass shootings at bars, often referred to locally as shebeens or taverns, have become a grim recurring theme. In 2022, a similar attack in Soweto, Johannesburg, claimed 16 lives on the same day another bar shooting killed four in a different province.
Crackdown on Illegal Venues and a Wider Pattern
Brigadier Mathe highlighted that violence at unlicensed bars is a serious and growing problem. In a concerted effort to address this, South African police shut down over 11,000 illegal taverns and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illicit liquor sales between April and September this year.
However, recent mass killings have not been confined to drinking establishments. Police cited an incident in September last year in the Eastern Cape province, where 18 people were killed in shootings at two houses on the same road just minutes apart. Fifteen of those victims were women. Seven men were arrested in connection with that attack, facing multiple murder charges, and police recovered three AK-style assault rifles believed to have been used.
