THE BULLET AND THE BIKERS: How a bullet has exposed battles between two of SA’s biggest biker groups

A single bullet has dislodged deep-seated tensions between two of South Africa’s biggest motorcycle groups and led to what one side has now publicly labelled a smear-style campaign, and what others informally say is a display of thuggery.

Barely a week ago, a MAC’S Motorcycle Club member was killed and another wounded in a shooting outside a Pretoria pub.

A biker affiliated with the Crusaders Motorcycle Club was arrested in connection with that incident, which, according to the police, involved one bullet being fired.

Since then, some bikers have taken to social media and called for calm, while numerous videos, from CCTV to shaky cellphone footage, have also been posted online.

Not all bikers — the bigger picture

South Africa is home to numerous motorcycle clubs and groups. Many of them are not involved in lawbreaking or brawls and violence, which have rocked only certain parts of the country’s biking fraternity. In a recent incident in Pretoria, a MAC’s Motorcycle Club member was killed and another was wounded in a shooting. A biker affiliated with the Crusaders was arrested and has since been criminally charged in a case that is still developing.

These videos show individuals wearing MAC’s insignia in intimidatory or violent confrontations with those in Crusaders gear.

At least one shows a man being hit.

The Crusaders have previously spoken out about the MAC’s and alleged bullying, while the MAC’s referred to the “targeted assaults on our members”.

This week the Crusaders, in response to Daily Maverick questions about recent issues, did not address the videos and instead focused on the fatal shooting.

Daily Maverick also sent the MAC’s club questions about related matters, and it subsequently released a lengthy public statement on Friday, 16 October 2026, calling the videos “defamatory”, “propaganda” and cautioning that AI capabilities needed to be taken into consideration.

Its statement also referenced active police investigations and expelled MAC’s members who still had club apparel.

These issues are becoming public as concerns have emerged about the impact, if any, an international outlaw motorcycle group could have on the local biking fraternity.

Videos and violence

This week Daily Maverick spoke to several sources, who wanted to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, about the videos circulating online.

Some believe that these do not convey the full story and are being spread to intentionally tarnish the MAC’s. (This is also the MAC’s official stance.)

But others see them as a way to expose consistent violence and intimidation that certain bikers have got away with.

The footage on social media includes a brawl inside an eatery.

In another incident, bikers in MAC’s insignia can be seen shouting at another seated on a bike wearing a Crusaders vest.

Images have also circulated, some showing men, apparent Crusaders, with bruised and bloody faces.

Daily Maverick understands that several complaints were lodged with the police about related incidents, but it was unclear what happened to these, sparking claims about matters being swept under the carpet.

MAC’s and Crusaders

According to MAC’s Motorcycle Club’s Facebook page, it is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 1980 “with just six bikers, and it has since become one of the largest Brotherhoods in South Africa”.

As for the Crusaders Motorcycle Club, its website says it was formed in 2006 and “has close to 2,000 members and more than 80 charters across SA”. Its motto is: “See everything, hear everything, say nothing.”

In an incident involving possible MAC’s bikers pitching up at a Pretoria venue earlier this year, a few cases were opened with police.

Daily Maverick established that officers had reacted.

Based on police feedback, each case (including malicious damage to property and armed robbery), saw a suspect being arrested, charged, and these matters were postponed for further investigation.

On Wednesday and again on Thursday, questions were also sent to the South African Police Service (SAPS) about broader tensions among certain bikers, but Daily Maverick received no response.

‘Tragic incident’

Daily Maverick asked the national Crusaders and the MAC’s about the videos and related issues.

National Vice-President of the Crusaders, Eddie Jacobsen, replied on Thursday and focused on the recent shooting.

It happened late on Saturday, 10 October, and MAC’s biker Baden Watson, a father of two sons, was killed and another was wounded outside the Little Britain Pub in Pretoria.

Police previously told Daily Maverick that a single bullet had been fired.

Crusaders biker Brian Smith was later arrested.

Jacobsen, in his response to Daily Maverick, said: “Our sincere sympathy goes to everyone affected by this tragic incident.”

Police were investigating it and, according to Jacobsen, had advised that “we should not involve ourselves in it”.

He added: “The matter is therefore sub judice, and we are unable to comment further while the investigation and legal process are ongoing.

“Crusaders MC has pledged its full cooperation with SAPS should this be required, but we cannot comment on any aspect of the matter until the investigation has run its full course.”

‘Asked to leave because of biker club’

Smith made his first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 13 October, and is expected back in the dock again next week on 20 October when he may apply for bail.

According to News24, it emerged in court that Smith had had previous brushes with the law, with cases opened against him. (Daily Maverick understands that outside of the court case, there are allegations that he was injured, possibly targeted, during a biker brawl in June this year.)

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng issued a statement after Smith appeared in court, saying he faced a murder and attempted murder charge.

It alleged that when Smith arrived at the pub last Saturday, “Watson and the [man who went on to be wounded] allegedly approached Smith at the entrance and asked him to leave because he belonged to a different biking club.”

The NPA statement added: “It is alleged that Smith then drew a firearm and opened fire on the two men before fleeing the scene […]

“In the early hours of the following morning, Smith handed himself over to the police and was subsequently arrested.”

The morning after the shooting, police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk had said that it appeared an argument had broken out between the suspect (Smith) and the wounded man.

This week, a post on the Little Britain Pub’s Facebook page detailed how the shooting allegedly unfolded.

This differed somewhat from what the police said, especially about an argument.

The pub’s post said that CCTV footage from three angles captured what had happened.

It claimed that Smith had waited for Watson and the second biker to come out of the venue.

“There was no prior altercation, fight or argument beforehand,” the post said.

‘Disturbing and abhorrent’

Daily Maverick approached MAC’s Motorcycle Club on Thursday with questions about various issues, including the videos on social media.

It released a public statement on Friday in which a founding MAC’s member, Mannetjies Geyser, condemned the “senseless violence that has taken Baden from us”.

He said that it was “confirmed that no altercation took place prior to the unlawful shooting”.

Geyser referred to a “media campaign together with the disturbing and abhorrent posts by members of the Crusaders”.

“We strongly condemn the recent circulation of incomplete and defamatory videos and posts published by certain individuals and members of the Crusaders on various social media platforms,” he said.

“These materials not only contain incomplete, false, misleading and harmful allegations but further relate to ongoing and active investigations by the SAPS.”

Geyser added: “The propaganda being circulated is solely an attempt to manipulate the public, incite public uproar, discriminate against the remaining biking community and clubs, whilst attempting to re-direct the attention away from the incident and inhumanely [sic] act by a member of the Crusaders.”

He explained that most MAC’s members who had been expelled (for undesirable acts or violating club rules) still had MAC’s apparel.

Geyser said that despite biking protocol, “several such members” were accepted into the Crusaders.

‘Bullying and disruption’

Tensions between the MAC’s and Crusaders have been simmering for a while.

In March last year, there was reportedly an incident involving members in Pretoria North.

Months later, in December last year, there was an incident involving various motorcycle clubs at the Jolly Dolphin in the Eastern Cape.

At the time, the Crusaders apologised to the venue via a Facebook post, saying a biker from the Patriots was targeted, allegedly by MAC’s bikers wanting “to show dominance by intimidation and bullying”.

“This provoked incident was totally unacceptable and uncalled for, yet, irrespectively, we apologise for our involvement, despite our good intentions to prevent further bullying and disruption by the MAC’s,” the post read.

“Unfortunately, a confrontation occurred when we were having a most enjoyable day, dining with family members on holiday, until we were called to break up a fight with a ‘so called’ Christian Motorcycle club, the MAC’s, who were attacking and had stabbed another biker who was returning from the restroom.”

The MAC’s had also responded with a Facebook post in which its president, Hendrik Brenkman, said: “It is regrettable that the situation, once again, turned into one of violence.”

Brenkman added that the MAC’s bikers had not provoked anyone from other clubs.

“The attempts to fabricate a different version is shameful to say the least,” his post said.

“From the recent incident at Jolly Dolphin it seems that the targeted assaults on our members are increasing and proving to increase in violence without regard for public safety and that of other parties.”

International influence

Earlier this week, Daily Maverick reported on other issues that connect to the biking community.

There were suspicions that massive methamphetamine factories uncovered in South Africa, with ties to Mexican cartels, may also be linked to criminals in Australia.

That country is home to several outlaw biker gangs, including Bandidos, and it seemed a local chapter may be setting up shop in Johannesburg.

(Neither the MAC’S nor the Crusaders commented when Daily Maverick asked whether they wanted to provide input on the potential local influence that foreign motorcycle clubs could have.)

America, Australia and Bandidos

The outlaw motorcycle gang Bandidos has a strong presence in Australia, where members have previously been arrested. The United States (US) has also acted against Bandidos members there who were allegedly involved in crimes ranging from murder and arson to witness intimidation. In 2025, Antoinette Bacon, a supervisory officer with the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said: “The Bandidos declare war on rivals – and they wage that war on our streets.” An indictment in that case alleged “that the Bandidos are a self-identified ‘outlaw’ motorcycle organization with a membership of approximately 1,500 to 2,000 in the United States and an additional 1,000 to 1,500 members internationally, including in Mexico”.

This has caused concerns in related arenas and adds to the tensions around the Pretoria shooting that killed Watson.

The apparent local Bandidos chapter has not been linked to any crimes, so concerns around it are just that.

These connect to what happened to Timothy Lotter, a security company boss and head of the South African chapter of the Satudarah motorcycle club.

He was shot dead on 5 January 2020 while driving in the Cape Town suburb of Goodwood. 

The Satudarah Motorcycle Club was banned in 2018 in the Netherlands, where it originated, over crimes including extortion.

Months after Lotter was killed, meanwhile, in September 2020, a gunman on a motorbike murdered his associate Stephan Venter outside a restaurant about 50km from Cape Town’s city centre.

There were suspicions that both Lotter and Venter had been involved in transnational drug trafficking. DM