An alleged multi-person assault took place at the Naka Bulls Rugby Club in Pretoria on 5 September 2026. The incident occurred directly after the Sanlam Carlton Cup Final, in which the University of Pretoria defeated Naka Bulls by a score of 26–17. That day the club hosted a full programme of finals matches, including under-20, third-team, second-team and first-team fixtures.
According to official correspondence later submitted by the Pienaar family, the altercation left Mrs Lidia Pienaar with severe facial trauma. The injury required nine stitches and has necessitated ongoing medical treatment.
The family’s documents set out a specific sequence of events. They state that the incident began when Mr Jacques Muller, the forwards coach of the Naka Bulls Rugby Club, physically assaulted Mr Marius Pienaar, husband of Lidia Pienaar. The situation then escalated, the correspondence claims, when Natasha Herbst, identified as the wife of Naka Bulls Chairman Ian Herbst, struck Lidia Pienaar in the face with a glass object. This was followed, according to the same documents, by the wife of Jacques Muller shattering a second glass against Lidia Pienaar’s head.
In the hours after the brawl, the family states that they preserved documented evidence of WhatsApp messages containing explicit threats. These messages were sent by Chairman Ian Herbst to Marius Pienaar.
A police docket has been opened. It is registered as CAS 39/9/2026 at the SAPS Moot station and is investigating formal charges of Assault with Intent to Cause Grievous Bodily Harm. The Pienaar family addressed correspondence to the SAPS Moot Station Commander, Colonel G. Corbett, as well as to the executive management of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. In those letters the family demanded criminal, civil and disciplinary accountability for what they described as a severe escalation of off-field violence.
In follow-up correspondence the family expressed concern about the progress of the police investigation. They indicated their intention to institute concurrent civil lawsuits against the implicated parties. They have also called on the Blue Bulls Rugby Union to enforce its code of conduct and to investigate the administrative position of Chairman Ian Herbst.
The Blue Bulls Rugby Union has acknowledged receipt of the family’s correspondence. The union confirmed that the material was forwarded to BBRU President Willem Strauss and General Manager Jaco Dames.
On 17 September 2026 formal media inquiries were submitted to the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, Naka Bulls management and Ian Herbst seeking clarity on any internal disciplinary steps, the administrative status of the individuals named, and any review of safety protocols at the club. A formal right of reply was provided until 16:00 SAST on 18 September 2026. No response or official statement was received by the time the primary public report on the matter was published.
Video footage of a physical scuffle inside the club premises has circulated publicly. The clip shows individuals involved in a confrontation within the bar or clubhouse area and depicts a man being physically removed from the venue. Separate reporting has linked the start of the confrontation to a dispute involving a cigarette that preceded the use of glass.
Die nadraai van ’n laatnag-bakleiery by die Naka Bulle-rugbyklub in Pretoria bereik nou kookpunt te midde van bewerings van swak gedrag en stemboodskappe waarin skelwoorde en dreigemente rondgeslinger word.
— Rapport (@RapportSA) September 27, 2026
🔗LEES MEER: https://t.co/B8Y1ZUdSIu pic.twitter.com/3Gf9FlcdxG
The matter remains under active investigation by the South African Police Service. The Blue Bulls Rugby Union continues to hold the correspondence and has not issued a public statement detailing any internal processes. All parties named in the family’s correspondence retain the right to respond to the allegations through the appropriate legal and administrative channels.
Limpopo police sergeant allegedly kills 32-year-old man in road dispute, rapes 14-year-old girl, then shoots himself
A police sergeant stationed at Mecklenburg SAPS allegedly shot and killed a 32-year-old man during a dispute on a narrow road at Ga-Mashamothane on Sunday afternoon, 27 September 2026, then drove to his residence in Ga-Masha outside Jane Furse, where he allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl who had been travelling with him, before fatally shooting himself with his service firearm.
Limpopo provincial police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said police were alerted to a shooting at Ga-Mashamothane at approximately 15:30. Officers who responded found the 32-year-old man lying on the ground with gunshot wounds. Emergency Medical Services certified him dead at the scene.
According to preliminary information, the victim and the sergeant encountered each other while driving along a narrow road. A dispute reportedly ensued between the two men. The officer then allegedly shot the man with his service firearm and left the scene.
Police say the sergeant thereafter drove to his home in Ga-Masha, in the Sekhukhune District, with a 14-year-old girl who had been accompanying him. The minor was allegedly raped at the residence. Shortly afterwards, the sergeant allegedly took the same service firearm and fatally shot himself.
Police in Tubatse, Sekhukhune District, have opened cases of murder and rape, as well as an inquest into the sergeant’s death. The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has been notified and will handle further investigation.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Jan Scheepers, condemned the incident. He said police officers are entrusted with firearms and are expected to uphold and enforce the law. Where a member is alleged to have acted contrary to the law, he said, the circumstances must be thoroughly investigated and the appropriate processes must follow. He extended condolences to the family of the deceased man and said the affected minor would receive the necessary support.
Police have not released the names of the sergeant, the 32-year-old man or the girl. No further official information has been provided on the cause of the road dispute, the relationship between the sergeant and the girl, or whether anyone else was present at either scene. The investigation remains at a preliminary stage.
Wedela tavern shooting death toll rises to 18 as police hunt eight gunmen
Eighteen people are now dead after a mass shooting at a tavern in Extension 3, Wedela, on the West Rand near Carletonville. Gauteng police confirmed on Monday, 28 September 2026, that one of the wounded died in hospital, raising the toll from the 17 people declared dead at the scene on Saturday night.
The attack took place at about 21:30 on Saturday, 26 September 2026. Police said patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when eight armed men arrived. The suspects opened fire on people outside, then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside. Officers said the gunmen were armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols.
Police said the suspects searched some patrons and took cellphones before fleeing in two unidentified vehicles. Two other vehicles were set alight during the incident. Emergency Medical Services declared 17 people dead at the scene. Those 17 were 13 men and four women. Fifteen other people were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds.
On Monday, Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said one more victim had died in hospital. The investigation now covers 18 counts of murder, 18 counts of attempted murder, two counts of malicious damage to property and armed robbery. No arrests have been made. A manhunt is under way for the eight unidentified armed men.
Only four of the dead have been identified so far: two South African nationals and two Lesotho nationals. Police said all injured people still in hospital have been identified. Five of the wounded were shot in the upper body and remain in a critical condition. The remaining injured patients are in a stable condition. Investigators are still working to identify the other deceased.
Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni has appointed a dedicated multidisciplinary team. The team includes murder and robbery detectives, Crime Intelligence and Crime Scene Investigation members. It is led by a senior brigadier responsible for Crime Investigation Services in the province.
Operation Prosper has been brought into the area. That operation includes the South African National Defence Force and specialised SAPS units, including the Tactical Response Team and Public Order Policing. Police said the operation is being used to intensify work in Wedela and surrounding areas.
The tavern has been reported as Dora’s Tavern on Hector Peterson Street in Extension 3, Wedela. Wedela is in the West Rand District, about 80 kilometres west of Johannesburg, in the Carletonville area.
Police have not publicly confirmed a single settled motive. Robbery is part of the case because cellphones were taken from patrons, and armed robbery has been added to the charge sheet. Deputy Provincial Commissioner Major-General Fred Kekana has said investigators are also looking at a possible link to an earlier shooting at the same tavern about a month before, in which one person was killed and another wounded. He said one of those killed on Saturday was a person police had been seeking in connection with that earlier incident, and that the latest attack may have been retaliation by another group.
Police have also listed illegal-mining gang rivalry in the area as a line of inquiry. Officers have said they have clear images of the eight suspects. President Cyril Ramaphosa said technology had assisted police in obtaining images of the suspects. Major-General Kekana has said some possible names are known to investigators, but identities would be confirmed through the investigation and in court.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi condemned the attack and called for law-enforcement resources to be used to identify and arrest those responsible. An eyewitness, Lonwabo Benze, told reporters that attackers arrived in a Toyota Quantum, that he heard them speaking in Sotho, and that they said the people they were looking for were not there. Police have not adopted those details as their official account.
Anyone with information that can help identify or locate the suspects is asked to call the Crime Stop line on 08600 10111 or send information anonymously through the MySAPS App.
Man dies after Ford Figo and Audi A4 collide on M7 in Zonkizizwe
One man died and three other people were injured after two light motor vehicles collided on the M7 in Zonkizizwe, Ekurhuleni, in the early hours of Sunday, 27 September 2026.
The collision involved a Ford Figo and an Audi A4. The driver of the Ford Figo, a man believed to be in his 30s, was critically injured. He was declared dead at the scene.
A passenger travelling in the Ford Figo sustained moderate injuries and was taken to hospital. Two men travelling in the Audi A4 sustained minor injuries. Both declined hospitalisation.
The circumstances of the crash have not been established. The South African Police Service is investigating.
Zonkizizwe lies on the southern side of Ekurhuleni, near Katlehong and Palm Ridge. The M7 in that area is a local arterial used by commuter and township traffic. Emergency services covering the stretch include teams based at Zonkizizwe and nearby Palm Ridge.
No names of the occupants have been released. No statement has been issued on the direction of travel, the exact point of impact, weather, road surface conditions, or whether any other vehicles were involved. No arrest has been reported.
The Figo driver’s death brings the confirmed fatality count from the incident to one. The three surviving occupants comprise one person with moderate injuries who was admitted and two people with minor injuries who were not hospitalised.
Police have not classified the matter beyond an investigation into the collision. Until that investigation is completed, the cause remains unknown.
The identities of the deceased and the injured have not been made public. Next-of-kin processes have not been confirmed in any official statement available at the time of writing.
