Twin Mass Shootings in South Africa Kill at Least 27 in Separate Township Attacks

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — At least 27 people were killed in two separate mass shootings that struck townships near Johannesburg and Cape Town within a matter of hours on Saturday night and early Sunday, police confirmed Sunday.

The first incident occurred late Saturday in the Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg. Eight armed suspects wielding AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire on patrons at a bar around 9:30 p.m., according to the South African Police Service. The gunmen initially targeted people outside the establishment before moving inside to continue their attack.

Police reported that 17 people died in the Wedela shooting, including 13 men and four women. At least 15 others were injured. Authorities stated that the assailants searched some victims for mobile phones before fleeing in two vehicles. No arrests have been made in connection with this attack.

Approximately four hours later, a second massacre unfolded in the Lwandle township near Cape Town. After 1 a.m. on Sunday, gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 11 others at a store. Police are currently searching for multiple suspects in connection with this crime but have not disclosed the exact number of attackers involved.

These killings represent the third wave of mass shootings in South African communities in just five days. On Tuesday, 11 people were killed, including a pregnant woman, when multiple gunmen attacked a house party in KwaMakhutha, a township south of Durban. Police have made no arrests in that case either.

South Africa has long grappled with some of the world’s highest homicide rates, with 5,427 murders recorded between April and June alone, averaging nearly 60 killings per day. However, experts note that the frequency of mass shootings is increasing, often carried out by organized criminal gangs in the country’s poorest communities.

The violence prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy soldiers to high-crime areas in March for a yearlong operation targeting organized crime. Ramaphosa described gang violence as the most significant threat to South Africa’s democracy and economic development, though critics argued the move signaled a failure of the police force.

Recent data shows that shootings remain the most common method of homicide in the nation, a trend linked by police and analysts to the widespread circulation of illegal firearms. This week’s attacks follow other deadly incidents, including a June shooting in Johannesburg that killed 12 people and two attacks in December that left a combined 21 dead.