Shopping Plaza Parking Lot Shooting In South Africa Kills Three Shoppers, Gunmen Escape Quickly

Johannesburg, South Africa— Three shoppers were killed Saturday when gunmen opened fire in the parking lot of a shopping plaza north of Johannesburg.

The shooting happened at 2:10 p.m. on October 25, 2026 at the Riverside Shopping Centre in Diepsloot. The lot was crowded with weekend shoppers. Witnesses said a white Toyota Corolla stopped near the entrance. Two men got out and walked toward a parked SUV, then began shooting.

South African Police Service said the intended target appears to have been a man sitting in the SUV, believed to be linked to taxi industry disputes. He was killed with multiple shots to the head. Two bystanders — a 38-year-old woman loading groceries and a 19-year-old mall employee on break — were struck by stray rounds and died at the scene.

The gunmen ran back to the Corolla and fled toward the N14. No security guard intervened. The shooting lasted under 20 seconds. Shoppers screamed and ran into stores, leaving carts in the lot.

"We were at the till when we heard pops, then people ran inside. They said shooters outside," a cashier at a supermarket inside the plaza said. "We locked the doors. Children were crying."

News24 reported the taxi-related victim had received threats in recent weeks after a route allocation meeting in Pretoria. Police had not confirmed the motive but said taxi violence remains a leading line of inquiry. The second theory is an attempted hijacking that escalated.

SAPS forensic teams recovered 17 9mm casings near the SUV. The victims’ bodies remained covered in the lot for three hours while detectives mapped trajectories. Family members arrived and were held behind tape.

The shopping plaza closed early. Store owners said foot traffic collapsed after the shooting, with many workers afraid to walk to their cars. The centre has no permanent police post, only two private guards at the entrance.

Police asked for dashcam footage from the lot and said the Corolla had cloned plates. No arrests had been made by nightfall.

The parking lot reopened at 6 p.m. with officers stationed.