A 32-year-old man who confessed to his involvement in a mass shooting at an unlicensed bar near Pretoria, South Africa, is scheduled to appear in court this month on multiple murder charges, with authorities having linked the December 6, 2025 attack to extortion gang rivalries operating in Pretoria townships.
The shooting left 12 people dead, including three children, after three gunmen opened fire at a bar inside a hostel in Saulsville township, approximately 18 kilometers west of South Africa’s administrative capital.
The attack occurred around 4:15 a.m. on December 6, 2025, killing 10 people at the scene. Two additional victims died at the hospital. Among the dead were a three-year-old boy, a 12-year-old boy, and a 16-year-old girl. At least 13 people were wounded.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the killings at COSATU celebrations on the day of the shooting, calling for swift police action.
The investigation produced a major breakthrough on December 21, 2025, when the Limpopo Tracking Team intercepted the suspect on the R101 road in Westenburg. He was arrested at Shell Ultra City in Polokwane while traveling from Gauteng to Botlokwa. Officers found him in possession of an unlicensed firearm and approximately 12 rounds of ammunition.
The suspect appeared in Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on December 22 on firearm charges. On December 30, he confessed to his involvement in the shooting.
Police revealed the motive on December 31. The attack was connected to a complicated web of murders and attempted murders in Atteridgeville, linked to rivalries between extortion gang splinter groups operating in Pretoria townships. The case is also connected to 2023 murder cases involving business extortion.
In early January 2026, the suspect appeared in Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court, where he was charged with 12 counts of murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. Ballistic tests confirmed the firearm recovered during his arrest was linked to the crime scene. The suspect abandoned his bail application and was remanded in custody.
Community members filled the courtroom, demanding justice for the victims.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on February 19, 2026, for the firearm charges and in Atteridgeville Magistrate’s Court on February 23, 2026, for the murder charges.
The manhunt continues for two remaining suspects believed to have participated in the attack.
The shooting highlights South Africa’s troubling record of gun violence and ongoing concerns about safety at unlicensed bars throughout the country. The nation has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with approximately 63 people killed daily between April and September 2025, according to police data.
Firearms represent the leading cause of death in homicides across South Africa. While the country maintains relatively strict gun ownership laws, authorities say many killings are committed with illegal weapons that circulate widely throughout communities.
Mass shootings at unlicensed bars have become a serious problem for law enforcement. Between April and September 2025, police shut down 12,000 illegal establishments and arrested 18,000 people as part of a crackdown on unregulated locations.
The Saulsville shooting is the latest in a series of mass violence incidents at South African bars in recent years. In 2022, 16 people were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in Soweto. More recently, gunmen killed eight customers at a tavern in Durban in May 2025.
Mass killings in South Africa have not been confined to bars. In September 2024, 18 people were shot dead in Eastern Cape province.
The country recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024. The statistics reflect deep-rooted challenges that continue to plague communities across the nation.
