At least 27 dead after two mass shootings in South Africa, police say | South Africa

Two separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities have killed at least 27 people, as the country grapples with one of the world’s highest murder rates amid investigations into police corruption and criminality.

South African police said Sunday that 17 people were killed Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in the township of Wedela, about 80 km southwest of central Johannesburg. At least 15 other people were shot and injured in the attack, police said.

In a separate statement, police said 10 people were killed in a mass shooting at an entertainment venue selling grilled meat, known as Shisanyama, at Lwandle, near Cape Town. Eleven other people were injured in the shooting. Police said they were looking for several suspects, without giving an exact number.

The two attacks came days after a mass shooting by three gunmen at a party near the east coast city of Durban killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman.

No arrests have been made in the latest two mass shootings, police said.

South Africa has struggled with high rates of violent crime for years, but this week’s series of mass shootings was shocking, even for a country accustomed to some of the highest violent crime rates in the world.

“This cannot continue like this,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told local news channels. “This is the level of crime we need to bring down, and our security forces will now continue to do everything they can. »

Police in Gauteng province announced on Sunday morning that they had launched a manhunt for the eight unidentified suspects in the Johannesburg tavern shooting, with no arrests yet made.

“It is alleged that patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when the suspects arrived and opened fire on those outside,” police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said in a statement.

“The suspects then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside. They were allegedly armed with AK-47 rifles and handguns. They allegedly searched some patrons and took their cell phones before fleeing the scene in two unidentified motor vehicles. Two vehicles were also set on fire during the incident.”

While many local residents would not talk about the shooting, one said illegal gold miners were active in the area. Gauteng provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni told reporters that one of his investigations was that the shooting was part of a “turf war in terms of illegal mining.”

Illegal miners, known as zama zamawhich means “to take a chance” in Zulu, are usually part of powerful gangs, with many mass shootings around Johannesburg being blamed on them in recent years.

Mthombeni also said Saturday’s shooting could have been retaliation for another shooting at the same tavern about a month ago.

Western Cape police said they had set up a team led by serious violent crime detectives to investigate the Cape Town shooting, in which the gunmen entered the Shinsanyama took place around 1:46 a.m. Sunday and the shooting of customers began.

“Five people died instantly while five others succumbed to injuries sustained after being transported to medical facilities,” the statement said. “Eleven other people are receiving medical treatment for their injuries…Detectives are working hard to search for the perpetrators of the shooting, and no arrests have yet been made. The identities of the deceased will be released once their next of kin are notified.”

A police official said “commercial jealousy could be a factor”, citing reports that people were buying cheaper alcohol elsewhere and then taking it to the restaurant to drink.

South Africans are already in shock after the discovery since July of numerous bodies of women near Johannesburg airport, most of which were found in recent weeks. The killings sparked renewed anger over high rates of gender-based violence in the country and put increased pressure on police and politicians to do more to address it.

Meanwhile, the Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry has been examining allegations of corruption and criminality within the police during televised hearings for a year.

South Africa had a murder rate of almost 40 per 100,000 people in 2024, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. This was the ninth highest in the world that year, with only Caribbean countries higher.

In the 12 months to June 30, more than 22,700 people were murdered in South Africa, according to police data.

Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report