Gunmen kill 27 in twin mass shootings near Johannesburg and Cape Town
Eight gunmen stormed a bar in Wedela township killing 17, while 10 died at a barbecue venue in Lwandle — the latest mass shootings in a country recording about 60 murders a day.
At least 27 people have been killed and 26 wounded in two separate mass shootings in South Africa’s two largest cities, police said on Sunday.
Eight gunmen armed with assault rifles and pistols stormed a bar in Wedela township, south-west of Johannesburg, at about 19:30 GMT on Saturday, opening fire on customers drinking outside before moving inside. Police said 17 people were killed — 13 men and four women — and 15 others were wounded. The attackers torched two vehicles and fled, and took cellphones from some patrons, the South African Police Service said.
Deputy provincial police commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said the motive was unclear but the attack may have been retaliation for an incident at the same bar last month in which one person was killed and another wounded. One of Saturday’s victims was being sought by police in connection with that earlier incident, he said, adding that police had “clear pictures of the suspects”.
Hours later, gunmen entered a barbecue venue in Lwandle township, east of Cape Town, at about 01:45 on Sunday, killing 10 people — including two women — and wounding 11. Five victims were declared dead at the scene; others died on the way to hospital. No arrests have been made in either attack, and police said manhunts were under way.
The shootings come days after gunmen killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman, at a house party south of Durban on 15 September. South Africa, with a population of about 62 million, records roughly 60 murders a day, and an estimated two million illegal firearms are in circulation.
Sources
- Geo News: Twin mass shooting incidents leave 27 dead in South Africa — SAPS statements, opened first-hand
- The Times: South Africa shootings: at least 27 dead in separate attacks
- Associated Press via Emirates 24|7: Mass shootings in South Africa leave at least 27 dead
- NDTV: 27 killed in 2 mass shootings at bar, store in South Africa
- NY Post: South Africa police launch manhunt after 17 killed in tavern shooting
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