JOHANNESBURG: A woman died on Tuesday after being mauled by a shark while swimming off a popular beach on South Africa’s southeastern coast, witnesses and authorities said.

Fatal shark attacks are uncommon worldwide but South Africa has a history of deadly encounters along its long coastline.

Tuesday’s attack was at Orient Beach in KuGompo City, previously known as East London, where the municipality closed nearby beaches and urged the public to stay out of the water. “It has been confirmed that a shark attack occurred at Orient Beach this morning, and this resulted in a tragic incident,” it said.

Police said they were called to the scene at around 7am, where they found the body of a 65-year-old woman with “open wounds”. Local media reported the woman was a regular swimmer and had been swimming with a group when the attack occurred.

A local community group said other swimmers had spotted a shark’s tail and fin.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2026