9 killed, 10 wounded in South African pub shooting
Johannesburg (AP): Nine people have died, and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 1 am in the township of Bekkersdal, which is located 46 kilometres (28 miles) west of Johannesburg. It is the second mass shooting to happen in South Africa in three weeks.
About 12 unknown suspects in a white mini-bus and a silver sedan opened fire at pub patrons at KwaNoxolo tavern, in the Tambo section of Bekkersdal and continued to shoot randomly as they fled the scene, according to police.
“Some victims were randomly shot in the streets by unknown gunmen,” the police said of the incident that left nine people dead and 10 hospitalised.
Provincial police commissioner Maj. Gen. Fred Kekana told SABC television that one of the deceased was a driver from an online car-hailing service who had been outside the pub.
A manhunt for the suspects in the multiple gunshot event has been initiated by Gauteng Serious and Violent Crime Investigations in collaboration with the Crime Detection Tracing Unit.
There have been several mass shootings at bars — sometimes called shebeens or taverns in South Africa — in recent years, including a mass shooting carried out by multiple suspects in an unlicensed bar near the South African capital that left at least 12 people dead and 13 injured earlier this month.
Another shooting killed 16 people in the Johannesburg township of Soweto in 2022. On the same day, four people were killed in a mass shooting at a bar in another province.
With almost 26,000 homicides in 2024, or more than 70 per day on average, South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides. Although the nation of 62 million has comparatively stringent gun control laws, officials say many murders are carried out using illegal firearms.
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Forest official caught on video seeking bribe from elephant attack victim in Karnataka
Chikkamagaluru (Karnataka) (PTI): An official in the Forest Department has come under scrutiny after a video surfaced allegedly showing him demanding a bribe from a farmer who lost areca nut and banana crops in a wild elephant attack.
The video, now circulating widely on social media, purportedly shows the official asking the farmer to pay “money for expenses” while assessing crop damage, drawing public criticism.
As per Forest Department procedure, officials are required to visit sites where crops are damaged by wild animals and prepare an assessment report, based on which government compensation is released.
The incident is reported to have occurred in Kanathi village in Chikkamagaluru taluk, where the farmer allegedly lost 65 areca nut trees in an elephant attack.
Sources said the official told the farmer that the number of damaged trees could be inflated in the report in exchange for money.
“If you give money for expenses, I will increase the number, and you will get more compensation from the government. If you don’t pay, I will record only 65,” he is heard saying.
The officer has been identified as Veerabhadra Nayak, a Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) posted at Kanathi Beat under the Chikkamagaluru Forest Division, sources close to Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said.
When the farmer refused to pay, the officer reportedly waited briefly before recording the damage as 65 trees in the report, according to the video.
The video was shared on 'X' by a user who tagged Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre and official department handles, prompting calls for action.
Netizens have demanded strict action against the officer for allegedly seeking a bribe from a farmer already facing financial distress due to crop loss.
