List of mass shootings in South Africa

This is a list of mass shootings that have occurred in South Africa. A mass shooting has various definitions, but is defined by South African police as an incident in which three or more people are shot with a firearm. ^[1]

Mass shootings in South Africa are mostly perpetrated by gangs, and are usually motivated by competition for turf and resources, as well as illegal mining. ^{[1] [2]} Another cause are the long-standing conflicts between minibus taxi associations in the country. ^[1] They often result in revenge shootings. ^{[1] [2]} Taverns are often targeted. ^{[2] [3]}

A lack of essential police resources has been discussed as a cause of the slowed response to mass murders in South Africa, and a lack of detectives preventing proactive analysis of crimes. ^{[2] [3]} A disconnect between policing and the communities they service has been pointed out as a possible influencing factor, ^[2] as has the rate of certified firearm theft. ^[3]

List

Date	Location	Province	Dead	Injured	Details
6 May 1927	Charlestown	Transvaal	9–10 [a]	3	Stephanus Swart, a farmer, went on a spree in Charlestown following a dispute over criminal charges, before killing himself.
26 November 1931	Bethlehem	Orange Free State	6 [a]	6	Cornelius Johannes Petrus van Heerden, armed with a saloon rifle and a revolver, held up a car driver. After the driver resisted, van Heerden shot him dead, and drove towards Bethlehem, shooting people on the road. After he was pursued by police, he killed himself. [4]
28–29 April 1975	Israeli Consulate in Johannesburg	Gauteng	4	51	1975 Fox Street siege: David and Charles Protter, two Jewish South Africans, took hostages at the Israeli Consulate in Johannesburg. David Protter surrendered the next day.
15 November 1988	Pretoria	Gauteng	8	16	Strijdom Square massacre: White supremacist Barend Strydom went on a shooting spree throughout central Pretoria, later saying he wanted to start a race war. He was later amnestied and released.
20 January 1992	Ladysmith	KwaZulu-Natal	9	19	1992 Ladysmith shooting: After an argument at his family's farm, Kallie Delport killed his father and then went on a shooting spree. Most of Delport's victims were black, and in the aftermath racial tensions in the area increased. Delport was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 39 years in prison.
25 August 1992	Prison complex in Goedemoed	Orange Free State	9 [a]	4	On 25 August 1992, police constable L. S. Hasebeng, facing a rape investigation, killed eight people and injured four before killing himself. The dead included the commander of his station. [5]
19 July 1993	Germiston	Gauteng	?	?	A taxi was ambushed near a hotel, with the attackers (carrying AK-47s) forcing all passengers out. They then separated members of the ANC and PAC political parties; they were then marched into the veld and killed. [6]
22 August 1993	Germiston	Gauteng	13	16	Three men opened fire with AK-47s on a group planning a burial; the shooting was near the location of the attack the prior month, and the attack was likely motivated as revenge. Prior to the shooting, rumors had appeared in the area that there would be a revenge attack against Xhosa speakers. All victims were Xhosa speakers. [6] [7]
26 July 1999	Anchor Comprehensive High School in Soweto	Gauteng	3	0	Charles Raboroko, a business economics teacher at Anchor Comprehensive High School, was alleged to have shot and killed three of his colleagues. He was charged for the crimes, but was eventually ruled unfit to stand trial due to paranoid schizophrenia. [8]
16 September 1999	Tempe military base	Free State	9 [a]	4	1999 Tempe military base shooting: Lt. Sibusiso Madubela, a black soldier who had his pay suspended after he went AWOL following his father's funeral, opened fire at Tempe military base, deliberately targeting whites. He was then shot and killed by other soldiers. The resulting inquiry revealed widespread racial discrimination in the SANDF.
12 January 2000	Pretoria	Gauteng	3	4	De Wet Kritzinger, a white supremacist, shot and killed three black people, injuring four, on a bus in Pretoria. He was sentenced to three life terms and 40 years in prison. Barend Strydom, who had been released, showed up to support him in court. [9] [10]
9 February 2002	Mdantsane	Eastern Cape	12 [a]	6	On 9 February 2002, Bulelani Vukwana (also referred to as Bulelani Vukwane) shot to death 11 people and injured a further six in Mdantsane. [11] [12] Vukwana, a security guard, had arrived at the home of his girlfriend, who had broken up with him, to persuade her to come back to him. After she refused to see him, an enraged Vukwana went to a nearby shebeen, where he shot and injured the owner and killed another man. Afterwards he returned to his girlfriend's house, where a family function was in progress, where he shot her point blank. [12] [13] [14] He started shooting randomly at motorists and pedestrians, killing several people. [12] [14] When he was spotted by police, he fired several shots at the officers and attempted to escape. He later killed himself by a shot to the head. [12]
1 July 2002	Postmasburg	Northern Cape	4	9	Christo Brian Fortune, a dismissed policeman, stole firearms from a police station, and then randomly opened fire on the street and surrounding areas. Prior to the shooting, he had assaulted his wife. He was sentenced to four life terms. [15]
20 January 2003	Cape Town	Western Cape	9	1	Sizzlers massacre: 9 people were killed and one was injured in an anti-LGTBQ hate crime.
19 October 2007	Polokwane	Limpopo	4	0	Samson Mocheku Tsamago, a driver for the Seshego Hospital, shot and killed 4 officials at the hospital, including the CEO, in a possible retaliation for his dismissal from the job following a fatal hit and run. He used a gun stolen from the hospital's security guard. [16] He was sentenced to 18 years in prison. [17]
14 January 2008	Skierlik	North West	4	8	2008 Skierlik shooting: Johan Nel, an Afrikaner teenager, went on a racially-motivated shooting spree, killing four people and injuring eight. He was sentenced to life in prison.
8 March 2020	Site B, Khayelitsha	Western Cape	7	7	Khayelitsha tavern shooting: Seven people were shot dead in the morning at a tavern. A 32-year-old suspect was arrested the next day.
2 November 2020	Gugulethu	Western Cape	8	1	A mass shooting occurred on the afternoon of 2 November 2020. [18] [19] It took place in a house in NY78, Gugulethu, Cape Town, South Africa and resulted in the death of eight people between the ages of 30 and 50 years old. [20] [21] One additional victim was injured in the shooting. [22] Seven of the nine victims died on scene (3 women and 4 men) [21] whilst an eighth victim died later in hospital. [22] Local residents reported to the media that the shooting was related to a gang conflict between the Guptas and the Boko Haram street gangs. [18] Other reports by local residents indicated that the killing was conducted by the Boko Haram gang targeting a local woman, killed on scene, who refused to pay extortion money to the gang. [18] Whilst the Gugulethu Development Forum stated that the killings were "drug-related." [21]
25 December 2020	Mount Ayliff	Eastern Cape	7–9	6–12	A dispute over minibus taxi routes between competing taxi routes was reported to have led to the shooting on 25 December 2020.. [23] [24] [25] The following day six suspects were arrested. It took place in the village of Mount Ayliff in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and resulted in the death of between seven [23] and nine people. [26] At least six people were reported injured in the attack. [23] It was reported that most of the dead were from the nearby village of Nokhatshile. [23] [24] [25] The South African National Defense Force was called in to assist the police in the search for suspects as they had escaped into the surrounding area following the incident. [24] [27] The following day six suspects, injured in the incident, were arrested. [28] Seven suspects appeared before the Mount Ayliff Magistrates Court on charges relating to the incident on 28 December 2020. [29]
9 July 2022	Pietermaritzburg	KwaZulu-Natal	4	8	2022 Pietermaritzburg shooting: Two men entered the Sweetwaters tavern and opened fire, before fleeing in a car. Two days later police arrested four suspects.
9 July 2022	Soweto	Gauteng	16	7	2022 Soweto shooting: A group of men armed with rifles and a pistol arrived and opened fire on patrons in the tavern. The perpetrators fled the scene and were not apprehended.
29 January 2023	KwaZakhele	Eastern Cape	8	3	On 29 January 2023 a mass shooting happened at a private home in the KwaZakhele township of Gqeberha. The two gunmen opened fire on the guests who were attending a birthday party before fleeing the scene, resulting in the death of eight people. Initially, seven people were declared dead at the scene with an additional four people injured. One of the four injured people later died of their injuries in a hospital. The South African Police Service stated that the motive for the attack was unknown. [30] [31] [32]
28 September 2024	Lusikisiki	Eastern Cape	18	5	2024 Lusikisiki shootings: 18 people were killed and five others were injured in two mass shootings at two homesteads in Lusikisiki. The first mass shooting killed four, while the second shooting killed thirteen. [33] [34]

Notes

1. Including the perpetrator

References

1. Lamb, Guy (18 July 2022). "Mass shootings in South Africa are often over group turf: how to stop the cycle of reprisals". The Conversation . Retrieved 20 April 2024.
2. Bhengu, Cebelihle (8 August 2022). "Mass shootings not a new problem in SA, but they're on the rise - experts". News24 . Retrieved 7 February 2024.
3. Nyathi, Cresencia; Nogwavu, Lelethu (22 January 2023). "SA's rise in mass shootings points to failure of crime intelligence". Daily Maverick . Retrieved 7 February 2024.
4. • "South African slays nine, ends own life" . The New York Times . 27 November 1931. p. 26. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
   • "Nine Murdered by Maniac – Motorist Shoots All He Meets". The Straits Times . 15 January 1932. p. 17. Retrieved 8 February 2023– via NewspaperSG.
   • Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa. Vol. 7. Nasou. 1976. p. 646. Retrieved 8 February 2023– via Google Books.
   • "Homicidal maniac's terrible toll". Daily News . Vol. L, no. 17647. 28 November 1931. p. 1. Retrieved 8 February 2023– via Trove.
5. "Elsewhere..." Tampa Bay Times . 26 August 1992. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
6. Minnaar, Anthony (Spring 1993). "East Rand Townships Under Siege". Indicator South Africa. Vol. 10, no. 4. p. 69. doi:10.10520/AJA0259188X_187. ISSN   0259-188X . Retrieved 28 September 2024– via Sabinet.
7. "Gunman slays 12 S. Africans and wounds 20". Reading Eagle . Associated Press. 23 August 1993. p. C14. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
8. "School killings: accused unfit for trial". IOL . SAPA. 14 March 2000. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
9. "Pta bus-shooter to stand trial". News24 . 4 October 2002. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
10. "Bus murders racist - judge". News24 . 2 May 2003. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
11. "12th shooting victim dies, one paralysed". IOL . 12 February 2002. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
12. Donian, Denver (10 February 2002). "Mass murderer's victims named". IOL . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
13. "Deadly shooting spree in Sth Africa". TVNZ . 11 February 2002. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
14. "Shooting rampage relived". Daily Dispatch . 11 February 2002. Archived from the original on 13 July 2003. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
15. • "Ex-cop walks out of jail, kills 4 in rampage". Independent Online . SAPA. 2 July 2002. Archived from the original on 14 May 2005. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
    • "Postmasburg killings stun quiet town". Independent Online . 3 July 2002. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
    • "Ex-cop gets 4 life terms". News24 . 29 August 2003. Archived from the original on 12 July 2004. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
16. Gallagher, Christina (27 October 2007). "Hospital gunman's sad legacy". IOL . Retrieved 28 September 2024.
17. "Hospital killer sentenced to 18 years in jail". IOL . SAPA. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
18. Hyman, Aron; Nombembe, Philani (3 November 2020). "'Boko Haram' vs 'Guptas': winner-takes-all battle behind Gugulethu shooting" . TimesLIVE . Retrieved 4 November 2020.
19. Fisher, Shamiela (4 November 2020). "Gugulethu mass shooting death toll rises to 8, police still hunting shooters". Eyewitness News . Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
20. Cruywagen, Vincent (3 November 2020). "Cape Town's Season of Fear : Gugulethu massacre: Gang sends out grim video message warning of more carnage". Daily Maverick . Retrieved 4 November 2020.
21. Mkentane, Odwa (4 November 2020). "Gugulethu killings were drug-related, says forum". Cape Times . IOL . Retrieved 4 November 2020.
22. "Gugulethu massacre where seven were killed 'barbaric', says Tina Joemat-Pettersson". IOL . African News Agency. 3 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
23. Shange, Naledi (29 December 2020). "Seven nabbed for Mt Ayliff Christmas massacre". TimesLIVE . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
24. "Police rope in the SANDF as the search for perpetrators of Mount Ayliff taxi violence continues". SABC News . 26 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
25. Persens, Lizell (27 December 2020). "6 men arrested for Mount Ayliff shooting, more arrests expected". Eyewitness News . Archived from the original on 27 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
26. Feni, Lulamile (29 December 2020). "9 dead, scores injured in Christmas day slaughter" . HeraldLIVE . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
27. Mthethwa, Cebelihle (25 December 2020). "Mount Ayliff Christmas unrest: SANDF joins search for killers after 'taxi violence' leaves 7 dead, 6 injured". News24 . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
28. Seleka, Ntwaagae (26 December 2020). "Mount Ayliff killings: Six people arrested for deadly Christmas Day clash between rival groups". News24 . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
29. Mthethwa, Cebelihle (28 December 2020). "Mount Ayliff killings: Accused in court for Christmas Day attack where 7 died". News24 . Retrieved 27 January 2021.
30. Gounden, Tamika (30 January 2023). "[UPDATE] Police launch manhunt for Gqeberha mass shooting suspects". Eyewitness News . Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
31. "Eight killed in mass shooting at birthday party in South Africa". Reuters . 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
32. "South Africa birthday party shooting: Eight killed in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape". BBC News . 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
33. Magome, Mogomotsi (30 September 2024). "No arrests in South Africa mass shootings as death toll rises to 18". Associated Press . Retrieved 30 September 2024.
34. "17 people have been killed in 2 mass shootings in the same street in South Africa". Associated Press . 28 September 2024. Retrieved 28 September 2024.

External links

• "Extortion and access to illicit firearms are key to understanding the rise in mass shootings in South Africa". Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime . Retrieved 7 February 2024.