JOHANNESBURG – Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying Lesotho citizens in South Africa on Tuesday, killing six people and injuring more than a dozen others in what police described as an unprovoked attack.
The shooting occurred near Meyerton, approximately 50km south of Johannesburg, according to provincial deputy police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana.
The attackers fired on the vehicle as it travelled towards Lesotho. The driver attempted to force the assailants off the road to prevent further casualties, Kekana told reporters at the scene.
“The driver of the bus tried to push them off the road so that they don’t continue shooting at them and causing harm. Fortunately, he managed to distract them,” he said.
Following the attack, the gunmen hijacked another vehicle, prompting a police pursuit involving canine units, drones and helicopters. Three suspects were arrested.
The victims included four women and two men. A further 18 people were hospitalised, all of whom were Lesotho nationals, Kekana confirmed.
The motive for the attack remains unclear. South Africa records more than 60 homicides daily on average and is grappling with high levels of violent crime, much of it linked to organised criminal networks and gangs.
Shootings are common in the country, which has large numbers of legal and illegal firearms in circulation. Many incidents are driven by gang rivalry and competition between informal businesses.
In December, two separate mass shootings at a hostel and a bar left 24 people dead, including several children.
- In another incident in December 2025 in Bekkersdal, also near Johannesburg, nine Lesotho nationals were among 11 people arrested in connection with a mass shooting at a pub that killed nine people. That incident was believed to be linked to illegal mining turf wars.
