Bekkersdal, Saulsville Shootings Spark Military Intervention Calls

Urgent pleas for SANDF deployment as tavern violence grips Gauteng

The recent wave of mass shootings in Gauteng has pushed local government and political parties to urgently call for the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to be deployed to township streets.

The appeal for military intervention has been spearheaded by the Rand West City Local Municipality as well as the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and Action SA, amongst others.

Central to their pleas is that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is no longer equipped to handle the high-caliber weaponry and the organised nature of the violence terrorising township communities.

This follows two horrific shooting incidents that took place in December 2025 at two separate illegal liquor outlets in Gauteng.

On 6 December, a mass shooting at a hostel in Saulsville, Pretoria, claimed 12 lives, including three children.

This was followed shortly by an attack on 21 December at KwaNoxolo tavern in Bekkersdal, located in the West Rand. In the latter incident, approximately 12 gunmen opened fire on patrons and pedestrians, leaving 10 people dead and at least another 10 wounded.

It is believed that a temporary military presence will provide the breathing room needed for law enforcement to reclaim control and for legal, community-focused businesses to thrive without the shadow of violence.

“We are calling on the national government to deploy the SANDF to our crime hotspots,” said Nontombi Molatlhegi, deputy mayor of Rand West City.

“Our people are being slaughtered in their streets, and it is clear that our local police resources are being outgunned and overwhelmed by these criminals,” she added.

The frequency and brutality of these attacks has created a sense of lawlessness that local authorities feel only a military-supported presence can stabilise.

MKP Gauteng provincial spokesperson, Abel Tau, stressed that community safety in Gauteng needs a total overhaul, calling for tighter gun control measures that will halt the flow of illegal weapons in communities.

“When gunmen can walk into a tavern and kill nine people without fear, the state has lost its monopoly on force,” he stated.

Also at the centre of this crisis is the role of illegal taverns in the sale of illicit alcohol to the public. Both the Saulsville and Bekkersdal shootings occurred at establishments described by police as “unlicensed shebeens”.

KwaNoxolo tavern owner, ​Nonesi Matwa, has since been arrested for operating the establishment using a fraudelent liquor license.

“The owner has been charged with fraud and operating an illegal liquor outlet,” Acting Gauteng Police Commissioner, Major-General Fred Kekana told journalists following the shooting.

Furthermore, authorities have identified venues such as KwaNoxolo as emerging hubs for violent crime, as they often operate outside of regulated hours and lack the security protocols required by legal liquor outlets.

The SAPS also reported recently that thousands of such illegal outlets have been shut down in recent months, yet they continue to proliferate - thus creating conducive environments for gang-related hits and random acts of violence to transpire.

Speaking at a Tavern Safety Summit in Soweto following the incident, Kekana also cautioned liquor outlet owners about the dangers of selling illicit products.

“Police have arrested several traders found selling stolen and counterfeit alcohol.

“We will act decisively against anyone found dealing in contraband, as this poses serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers,” Kekana warned.