17 People Killed at Carletonville Tavern in Suspected Gang Retaliation Attack
- SAPS Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Fred Kekana addressed the media at the scene in Carletonville on 27 September 2026
- 17 people were shot dead, and 15 others were seriously wounded in what police believe is a gang retaliation attack at a local tavern
- Kekana confirmed investigators retrieved clear images of the suspects and said police are actively working to make arrests
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Source: Getty Images
GAUTENG — Seventeen people were killed and 15 others seriously injured in a mass shooting at a tavern in Carletonville on 27 September 2026, with police linking the bloodshed to an ongoing gang feud.
SAPS Gauteng Deputy Provincial Commissioner Fred Kekana spoke to the media at the crime scene, with a forensic services vehicle visible in the background as he confirmed the casualty figures. Of the 17 dead, 13 were men, and 4 were women. Among the 15 wounded, 14 were men and one was a woman, all admitted to various hospitals.
Retaliation behind the attack, police believe
Kekana said investigators believe the shooting was an act of retaliation by a rival group. He noted that one of the deceased was himself a suspect wanted in connection with a previous incident in the same area.
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"Last month at the same time, we lost one life and one person was injured," Kekana said. "It's linked from our view for now to a retaliation by another group."
He was unequivocal that such patterns of violence would not be normalised.
Suspects identified, arrests expected
Kekana confirmed that investigators had obtained clear images of the suspects. National Forensic Experts were deployed to the scene and are working alongside provincial and district crime scene management teams. He also said that the police obtained clear pictures of the suspects and pledged to apprehend them.
Watch the full media briefing at the Carletonville crime scene:
What did South Africans say?
The shooting drew immediate reaction on social media.
@TapsnTaps19 wrote:
"It's time for the government to deploy the SANDF, the only solution."
@KayGee_Ram said:
"We have had enough of explanations and reactive policing. When are you really going to address these issues? This is giving our country a bad name!"
@sirrazorr argued:
"Poor policing is turning SA into an El Salvador; it is of no point to say these without measures in place to stop the killings. SAPS should be more proactive and not reactionary."
@ZondoKholwani added:
"As long as we negotiate with the criminals, it will be a manhunt every day." @getluza wrote: "My hometown, we heard gunshots last night."
KwaMakhutha mass shooting death toll rises
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the KwaMakhutha mass shooting, which claimed 12 lives after another victim died in hospital. The attack occurred when three gunmen stormed a party in KwaMakhutha, KwaZulu-Natal, on 22 September 2026.
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Source: Briefly News
