Two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa leave at least 27 dead

At least 27 people are dead across two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, one in the Johannesburg area and one near Cape Town.

17 people were killed in a Johannesburg-area bar shooting that left at least 15 more injured, while 10 were killed near Cape Town with 11 wounded. No arrests had been made in either case as of Sunday morning. The attacks came days after a separate mass shooting in Durban killed 11 people.

Eight gunmen storm tavern near Johannesburg

Eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols attacked a tavern in the Wedela township south-west of Johannesburg on Saturday evening. Police spokesperson Capt Tintswalo Sibeko said patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when the suspects arrived and opened fire on those outside, then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside. 13 men and four women were killed. The suspects searched patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing in two unidentified motor vehicles, and two vehicles were set alight during the incident.

Ten killed at grilled-meat venue near Cape Town

In a separate attack, gunmen opened fire at a shisanyama venue selling grilled meat in Lwandle, near Cape Town. The shooting began at approximately 1.46am on Saturday night. Western Cape police said five individuals died at the scene while five others succumbed to injuries after being transported to medical facilities. 11 wounded people are receiving medical treatment, and the identities of the deceased will be released once next of kin are informed.

Police hunt suspects as motive remains unclear

Police in Gauteng launched a manhunt for the eight suspects in the Johannesburg tavern shooting. In the Western Cape, police set up a team led by serious violent crime detectives to investigate the Cape Town shooting. Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the Johannesburg attack may have been retaliation for an incident last month in which one person was killed and another wounded. Kekana also said police had clear pictures and in some cases names for the suspects.

A country besieged by gun violence

The two attacks followed a mass shooting in Durban carried out by three gunmen at a house party in the KwaMakhutha township, which killed 11 people including a pregnant woman. More than 22,700 people were murdered in South Africa in the 12 months to 30 June, according to police data, amounting to about 60 murders recorded every day in a country of 62 million people. Violence is often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining. In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development.” Earlier this year the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates.

On Saturday a 10th woman’s body was found in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg, with police unable to rule out a serial killer. Women’s bodies have been found near Johannesburg’s airport since July, most in recent weeks, sparking renewed anger about gender-based violence.