27 killed in two mass shootings near Joburg and Cape Town
At least 27 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities, in a week of bloodshed that has shocked a country already grappling with one of the world’s highest murder rates.
South African police said 17 people were killed on Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a tavern in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg. At least 15 others sustained gunshot wounds.
In a separate attack in the early hours of Sunday, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded when gunmen entered a shisanyama — an entertainment venue selling grilled meat — in Lwandle, near Cape Town, and began shooting at customers.
No arrests have been made in either incident.
The two shootings came just days after three gunmen killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman, at a house party near the east-coast city of Durban.
Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when the suspects arrived and opened fire on those outside before entering the premises and continuing to shoot inside.
“The suspects were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols. They allegedly searched some patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing the scene in two unidentified motor vehicles. Two vehicles were also set alight during the incident,” she said.
Police in Gauteng said a manhunt had been launched for the eight suspects.
Gauteng provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said one line of inquiry was that the shooting was linked to illegal gold mining.
“It is part of a turf war in terms of illegal mining,” he told reporters. He added that it could also have been retaliation for another shooting at the same tavern about a month ago.
While many residents declined to comment, one local said illegal miners were active in the area.
The miners, known as zama zamas, meaning “to take a chance” in Zulu, are usually part of powerful gangs. Multiple mass shootings around Johannesburg in recent years have been blamed on them.
In the Western Cape, police said a team led by serious violent crime detectives had been assembled to investigate the Lwandle shooting, which happened at about 1.46 am on Sunday.
“Five individuals died on the scene while five others succumbed to injuries after being transported to medical facilities,” police said in a statement.
“Eleven others are receiving medical treatment. Detectives are hard at work in search of the perpetrators, with no arrests effected yet. The identities of the deceased will be released once their next of kin are informed.”
A police official said business jealousy may have been a factor, citing reports that patrons had been buying cheaper alcohol elsewhere and bringing it into the venue to drink.
South Africa has struggled with high levels of violent crime for years, but the spate of mass shootings this week has been shocking even by its standards. _*TheGuardian*_
