Police said the arrests were made on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, following raids on two houses outside Johannesburg. Among those detained were undocumented miners, including nine citizens of Lesotho and one national of Mozambique.
According to Al Jazeera, the shooting occurred on Sunday, December 21, when around a dozen gunmen arrived at a tavern in the township of Bekkersdal in a minibus and a car and opened fire. Ten other people were wounded in the attack.
Police said the suspects were found in possession of unlicensed firearms, including four handguns and an AK-47 rifle. Acting Gauteng provincial commissioner Fred Kekana said cartridges and live ammunition recovered from the suspects matched the type found at the crime scene and had been sent for forensic testing to determine whether they were used in the shooting.
Authorities also arrested a South African mine employee on charges related to harbouring undocumented tenants and obstructing justice.
Separately, local media reported that the tavern’s owner, Nonesi Matwa, was charged on Tuesday with fraud and operating an illegal liquor outlet. Her family has denied any wrongdoing, saying she was being unfairly targeted and was not responsible for the violence.
Bekkersdal and other townships west of Johannesburg are surrounded by abandoned mine shafts and are known for illicit mining operations that have fuelled gang violence and the spread of illegal firearms. Undocumented miners, commonly referred to as zama zamas, are believed to be largely migrants from Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
South Africa continues to struggle with high levels of violent crime. With nearly 26,000 homicides recorded in 2024, an average of more than 70 a day, the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Despite strict gun control laws, officials say many killings are carried out using illegal firearms, and mass shootings at bars have occurred repeatedly in recent years.
