Emergency personnel cordon off an area next to burnt vehicles at the site of a deadly shooting at a tavern in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, 27 September 2026;
Credit: REUTERS/Oupa Nkosi
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The death toll from a tavern shooting over the weekend near Johannesburg has risen to eighteen after another victim died in hospital, South African police said on Monday 28 September 2026.
The shooting happened late on Saturday 26 September 2026 when suspects armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire at the tavern in Wedela township, about 80 km west of Johannesburg.
Police said in a statement that four of those killed had so far been identified: two South Africans and two nationals of Lesotho.
Violent crime remains a major challenge in South Africa despite efforts to curb one of the world's highest per-capita murder rates.
Police are still searching for the perpetrators of the shooting but said they had managed to get clear pictures of them. One line of inquiry is that the incident was part of a turf war between the heavily armed gangs that control the illegal gold-mining trade in the area.
Authorities are also investigating another weekend shooting near Cape Town in which ten people were killed.
