Attack
2020 shooting
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.
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Text from the Wikipedia article “Gugulethu massacre”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, at 45 people per 100,000 according to 2023–24 figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. In 2024 alone, South Africa recorded more than 26,000 homicides—an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are the leading cause of death in homicides. 63 people were killed every day between April and September 2024, according to police data.
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. Another cause are the long-standing conflicts between minibus taxi associations in the country. They often result in revenge shootings. Taverns are often targeted. Several fatal mass shootings have also occurred in bars in recent years, with a majority taking place in shebeens, or illegal bars. In a major crackdown between April and September 2025, police shut down 12,000 such outlets and arrested 18,000 people.
Shootings, often relating to organized crime, are said to be fueled by alcohol sold at shebeens. Two of the most violent recent mass shootings; the Soweto and Pietermaritzburg shootings, which combined killed 20 people and injured 15 people, occurred at shebeens. Mass shootings in the country are not just confined to shebeens however, with two related mass shootings in the town of Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, killing 24 people and injuring 9.
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. A disconnect between policing and the communities they service has been pointed out as a possible influencing factor, as has the rate of certified firearm theft.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Gugulethu massacre”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.