Court postpones case of five Bekkersdal shooting suspects to Monday

The Bekkersdal shooting crime scene, December 21, 2025.

The case of the five people suspected to be linked to the shooting incident in Bekkersdal has been postponed to Monday next week in the Westonaria Magistrate’s Court west of Johannesburg.

Nine people were killed in the incident, which happened at the KwaNoxolo tavern earlier this month. The suspects were arrested almost a week ago.

They all abandoned their bail application for their own safety.

The suspects appeared still to be in their dirty mining uniforms. They also confirmed that they are from Lesotho and don’t have passports.

Court proceedings were held on camera under strict regulations. The media was not allowed to film the court proceedings and the usage of cellphones was prohibited.

The court heard that the accused face various charges, including nine counts of murder, attempted murder, possession of unlicenced firearms and live ammunition, and contraventions of immigration laws.

The court was also told that one of the accused has a previous conviction for attempted murder.

The Magistrate has ordered that the names and images of the suspects may not be released until the identity parade has been finalised, to ensure the integrity of the identification process is not compromised.

#sapsGP Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations together with Crime Detection Tracing Unit have launched a manhunt for the suspects involved in a multiple shooting incident during the early hours in Bekkersdal on Sunday, 21 December 2025. The incident has resulted in… pic.twitter.com/EKIed2K0mt

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 21, 2025