By Agency Reports
At least 27 people have been killed and 26 others injured in two separate mass shootings in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South African police said on Sunday.
The first attack occurred at a bar in Wedela, a semi-rural township southwest of Johannesburg, at about 7:30pm on Saturday.
Police said eight gunmen armed with assault rifles and pistols opened fire on customers drinking outside the bar before moving inside and continuing the attack.
Seventeen people were killed, including 13 men and four women, while 15 others sustained injuries.
The attackers reportedly set two vehicles ablaze before fleeing the scene.
Major General Fred Kekana, the deputy provincial police commissioner, said investigators had obtained clear images of the suspects and were working to identify and arrest them.
He said the motive remained unknown, although the attack appeared to be linked to an incident at the same tavern last month in which one person was killed and another wounded.
One of the victims in Saturday’s attack was reportedly being sought by police in connection with that earlier incident.
A second shooting occurred early Sunday at a barbecue venue in a township outside Cape Town, where 10 people were killed and 11 others injured.
Police said five victims died at the scene, while the others died while being taken to hospital. Two of those killed were women.
No arrests had been made in connection with either shooting as of Sunday.
The latest attacks come amid continuing concerns over gun violence and organised crime in South Africa, where shootings have frequently been linked to gangs, criminal networks and local business disputes.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said security agencies would continue efforts to tackle violent crime.
“The clear instruction to our security forces is that we must bring the levels of criminality and violence down,” Ramaphosa said.
The latest incidents followed another shooting in Durban last week in which 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed at a house party.
South Africa has repeatedly deployed soldiers to support police operations in areas affected by violent crime.
Meanwhile, police in Johannesburg are investigating a separate series of killings involving 11 women in one municipality over a two-month period.
Police said the latest victim was found on Sunday, while several other victims were reportedly found with signs of sexual assault.
A suspect has been arrested in connection with one of the killings, bringing the number of arrests linked to the series to four.
Police have offered a 400,000-rand reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspected killer or killers.