At least nine people were killed and 10 others wounded early Sunday when a group of gunmen opened fire at a pub in Bekkersdal, a township 46 kilometers west of Johannesburg, authorities said. The attack marks the second mass shooting in South Africa within three weeks.

Police said around 12 unidentified suspects arrived in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan, targeting patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern in the Tambo area before firing indiscriminately as they fled. Some victims were shot outside the pub on nearby streets.

Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana, acting provincial commissioner of Gauteng, told the AP that the assailants, some wearing balaclavas, were armed with one AK-47 rifle and multiple nine-millimeter pistols. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that an e-hailing driver was among those killed after dropping off a client.

Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations, together with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit, launched a manhunt for the suspects.

Mass shootings at bars, or shebeens, have occurred repeatedly across South Africa in recent years. Earlier this month, multiple suspects attacked an unlicensed bar near the capital, leaving at least 12 dead and 13 injured. In 2022, a similar attack in Soweto killed 16 people, while another left four dead in a separate province.

South Africa recorded nearly 26,000 homicides in 2024, averaging more than 70 deaths per day, making it one of the countries with the highest murder rates globally. Firearms remain the leading cause of homicide, and while the country enforces strict gun control laws, illegal weapons are frequently used in violent crimes.

Authorities continue to investigate the latest attack as the community reels from the deadly incident.