Mass shooting in Marikana: 19-year-old charged with multiple offences
The shebeen where ten people were shot, leaving nine dead, while one continues to receive medical attention.
Image: Siyavuya Khaya
The 19-year-old accused of a deadly mass shooting at a shebeen in the Marikana informal settlement appeared in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on charges including nine counts of murder, attempted murder and two counts of robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The case against Bheki Manxiwa was postponed to 2 February 2026 for the compilation of a full bail profile and further investigation.
The matter has been classified as a Schedule 6 offence, meaning the onus rests on the accused to convince the court that it is in the interests of justice for him to be released on bail. The State has indicated it will oppose bail.
The attack occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 17 January, at a shebeen in the Marikana informal settlement, where gunmen allegedly opened fire on patrons inside the shack. Eight men and one woman were killed, while another person was seriously injured.
According to police reports presented in court, three suspects allegedly entered the shebeen shortly after midnight and opened fire.
Six people died at the scene, one victim died while being transported to hospital, and days later a ninth victim who had been critically injured also succumbed to his injuries. One of the deceased was a woman believed to have been the owner of the shebeen.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila, further explained that the State alleges that prior to the shooting, the 19-year-old and others had been drinking in another area.
It is further alleged that one suspect brought a firearm fitted with an extended magazine, which was handed to another individual identified in court as Loyd, before the group travelled to the shebeen.
Prosecutors further allege that after the shooting, the accused robbed the deceased of their cellphones and money.
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa confirmed the arrest, which followed intensive investigations by specialised police units. The 19-year-old was arrested on Friday in Zweletemba, Worcester.
The State alleges the accused is linked to the crime through confessions made to two individuals, as well as statements from other witnesses. Police are still in the process of interviewing three additional witnesses who are expected to further link the accused to the mass shooting.
The court has ordered that no identifying photographs of the accused be published, including frontal images, as an identification parade is still to be conducted.