Two ANCYL members were shot dead and three others injured when an unidentified gunman opened fire on members leaving a memorial service in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni on 13 October 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)Two ANC Youth League members, aged 21 and 23, were shot dead in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, on Tuesday evening, 13 October 2026, when a gunman, after firing shots in the air, turned his rifle on a crowd of mourners.
Two other wounded mourners, aged 23 and 27, died of their injuries, SAPS announced in a statement on Wednesday, bringing the death toll to four. Three others were injured and are receiving treatment in hospital.
The injured, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili, are aged between 12 and 27. After the shooting, the suspect handed himself in and is in police custody, Muridili said.
The case docket, with charges of murder and attempted murder, has been assigned to the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) for further investigation.
Memorial service
The shooting took place just after the closing of a memorial to 51-year-old Jeanette Magugu, a leader within the ANC and its youth league in the Ekurhuleni region. She had been shot dead at Mandela Informal Settlement in early October.
The memorial service took place on Tuesday afternoon at Mogobeng Hall, at a primary school in Tshongweni, Katlehong.
Shooting
A witness described how, as the memorial service drew to a close, mourners had left the hall and were making their way down the street towards Mandela Informal Settlement, singing and marching in tribute to the ANC leader.
It was there that they encountered the alleged shooter.
An ANC member who witnessed the shooting told Daily Maverick that the gunfire caught mourners by surprise.
The witness said the man initially fired shots into the air, then turned the rifle on the crowd. Mourners scattered as shots rang out. The witness then saw that people had been wounded and that one person lay motionless.
/file/attachments/orphans/Felix-Tumi-ANCYL3_944410.jpg "Police investigate the scene where two ANCYL members were shot dead and three others injured in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni on 13 October 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)")
The witness said emergency responders took some time to arrive at the scene. The shooter allegedly left his vehicle behind and walked to the local police station to hand himself over.
As police forensic investigators processed the crime scene, a community looked on in shock. The alleged shooter is known to the community, some people told Daily Maverick.
They described him as trigger-happy, with a Facebook page that displayed photographs of firearms. That page has since been taken down, the people said.
As news of the shooting spread, important government figures and politicians visited the crime scene, including Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, Gauteng MEC Faith Mazibuko, as well as Afrika Mayibuye Movement’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Themba Lukhele.
As of last night, it was unclear what had prompted the shooting and whether the gunfire was intentional. DM
This story has been updated to include the deaths of two additional mourners. (Updated: 14 October 2026)
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