Bekkersdal Tavern Shooting Leads to Eleven Arrests Eleven individuals have been arrested in connection with a mass shooting that resulted in nine fatalities at a tavern in South Africa. The incident occurred on Sunday at approximately 01:00 local time (23:00 GMT Saturday) in Bekkersdal, an establishment located near Johannesburg. Investigation Details Major General Fred Kekana, provincial deputy commissioner of police, stated on Wednesday that nine of the arrested suspects are Lesotho nationals, with one individual identified as a Mozambican national. An additional suspect, believed to be a South African mineworker, was also detained. Police initiated a manhunt for 12 unidentified gunmen following the attack, which saw assailants open fire on patrons. During the incident, two individuals and a nearby taxi driver were killed as people attempted to flee the premises. Preliminary investigations suggest that the motive for the attack may be linked to disputes over illegal mining territories. Upon the arrests, law enforcement officials recovered several unlicensed firearms, including an White AK-47 rifle, from the suspects. Context of Gun Violence in South Africa South Africa experiences a high rate of murders, frequently attributed to factors such as arguments, robberies, and gang-related activities. According to statistics cited by Gideon Joubert from the South African Gunowners' Association, there are approximately 3 million legally held firearms in the country, with at least an equal number of unlicensed weapons. Claire Taylor, a researcher at Gun Free South Africa, informed the BBC that while 2025 has registered a decline in reported mass shootings, there has been a notable increase since 2020 in incidents where four or more individuals are either killed or injured. Licensed taverns and illegal drinking establishments, known as shebeens, are among the common locations for these types of attacks. This shooting follows a separate incident two weeks prior at the Saulsville Hostel in Pretoria, where 11 people, including a three-year-old child, were killed.