At least 27 people killed in two mass shootings in South Africa

Gunmen killed at least 27 people in two separate mass shootings in South Africa’s largest cities, police said Sunday, as the country continues to grapple with high levels of violent crime.

In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with assault rifles entered a bar west of Johannesburg at around 7:30 p.m. GMT on Saturday and opened fire on patrons, killing 17 people and wounding 15, police said.

The attackers initially shot at people drinking outside the bar before moving indoors and continuing to fire, according to police. The dead included 13 men and four women.

The gunmen also set fire to two vehicles before fleeing the scene. Police said the motive remained unknown and that no arrests had been made.

Hours later, another shooting took place at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town. Ten people were killed and 11 others wounded, police said.

Five victims died at the scene, while the others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital. No suspects had been arrested in that attack either.

The shootings come as South Africa battles widespread gun violence, with authorities frequently linking deadly attacks to gang conflicts and competition among informal businesses.

The country of around 62 million people records about 60 murders a day, placing it among the nations with some of the world’s highest murder rates.

Authorities have repeatedly deployed the military to support police in areas affected by severe violence. In March, soldiers were sent to crime hotspots in Johannesburg as President Cyril Ramaphosa described rampant crime as one of the country’s biggest threats.

The military has also been deployed during previous periods of unrest, including the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, riots following the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma in 2021 and a wave of truck burnings in 2023.

In 2019, about 1,300 soldiers were deployed to support police operations in the gang-plagued Cape Flats around Cape Town.

Despite these efforts, shootings and other violent crimes remain a persistent problem.

In Johannesburg, 10 women have been killed in the same municipality over the past two months. The latest victim was found on Saturday, police said, semi-naked and having been stoned to death.

A suspect has been arrested in connection with that killing, police said.

The other nine victims were mostly women in their 20s and 30s. Some were found stripped of their clothes and showed signs of sexual assault.

Police have offered a 400,000-rand ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, has offered an additional $31,000.