A biker was killed and another wounded in a shooting outside a Pretoria pub on Saturday, 10 October 2026, as concerns grow about rising tensions in South Africa's biking community. The shooting, which seems to have stemmed from an argument, occurred late on Saturday outside a Pretoria venue. Police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk confirmed that preliminary information suggested the murdered and the wounded man were from the MAC's Motorcycle Club.
The suspected shooter, reportedly affiliated with the Crusaders Motorcycle Club, was arrested and is expected in the Hatfield Magistrates' Court. According to Captain van Dyk, an argument broke out, which led to the suspect drawing a firearm and shooting a man. The Little Britain Pub, outside where the shooting happened, posted on Facebook, expressing condolences to the family and friends of the man who lost his life and wished the injured man a full recovery.
The shooting adds to concerns about ongoing friction between some local biking groups. There are also suspicions that international outlaw motorcycle gangs with bases in other countries may be involved in trafficking drugs that Mexican cartels are producing in South Africa. Local police recently uncovered a few Mandrax production facilities, and there have been at least five mass illicit drug manufacturing factory crackdowns, mainly involving methamphetamine, in South Africa.
Police are reportedly investigating whether there are links between 11 drug production facilities which have been uncovered so far. The arrests of Mexican suspects add to evidence suggesting that cartels from that country are increasingly active in South Africa and across this continent. Infighting, meanwhile, is rocking Mexico's Sinaloa cartel, and there are worries in local law enforcement circles about how criminal networks here could become embroiled in "imported" violence.
Several matters suggest Mexican cartels are increasingly active in Africa, possibly due to harsher crackdowns elsewhere. In April 2026, authorities in Mozambique, which borders South Africa, announced that they had confiscated masses of drug-producing chemicals and arrested three suspects, two from Mexico with alleged Sinaloa cartel links.
There are also concerns that international outlaw motorcycle clubs are moving into South Africa. A website under the international Bandidos name included a post welcoming Bandidos MC Johannesburg Probationary chapter South Africa to the Red and Gold nation. While that post is unverified and does not indicate criminality or links to illicit drugs, it suggests Bandidos may be setting up shop in South Africa.
The AFP recently published a report on massive illicit drug factories in South Africa involving Mexican suspects, which said investigators believed one of the facilities was part of "a network established by the Sinaloa cartel to supply Australia and New Zealand, the most lucrative meth markets on the planet".
Key points
- A biker was killed and another wounded in a Pretoria shooting, adding to concerns about rising tensions in South Africa's biking community.
- There are suspicions that international outlaw motorcycle gangs with bases in other countries may be involved in trafficking drugs produced by Mexican cartels in South Africa.
- The arrests of Mexican suspects add to evidence suggesting that cartels from that country are increasingly active in South Africa and across this continent.
