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.[2] Another cause are the long-standing conflicts between minibus taxi associations in the country. They often result in revenge shootings. Taverns are often targeted.[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. 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.
| 6 May 1927 | Charlestown | Transvaal | 9-10 | 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 | 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. | |
| 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 | 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.[4] | |
| 16 September 1999 | Tempe military base | Free State | 9 | 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.[5] [6] | |
| 9 February 2002 | Mdantsane | Eastern Cape | 12 | 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.[7] [8] 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.[9] [10] He started shooting randomly at motorists and pedestrians, killing several people. When he was spotted by police, he fired several shots at the officers and attempted to escape. At about 10pm, realizing he was cornered, Vukwana killed himself by a shot to the head. | |
| 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. | |
| 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 | Gugulethu massacre Eight people were killed at a house. The shooting was reported to be related to a gang conflict between the Gupta and Boko Haram street gangs or drug-related. | |
| 25 December 2020 | Mount Ayliff | Eastern Cape | 7-9 | 6-12 | Mount Ayliff Christmas Day Massacre A dispute over minibus taxi routes between competing taxi routes was reported to have led to the shooting. The following day six suspects were arrested. | |
| 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 | 2023 Gqeberha shooting Two gunmen opened fire at a private home at guests attending a birthday party. Police stated the motive for the attack was unknown. |