Gunmen kill 27 in two shootings in South Africa

Gunmen killed at least 27 people in two mass shootings in South Africa's two main cities, police said on Sunday, in the latest violence to hit the crime-weary country. The first incident occurred at around 1930 GMT on Saturday when eight gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed a bar west of Johannesburg and shot 17 people and wounded 15 others. The suspects opened fire on customers drinking outside and then moved inside to continue shooting, police said.

The victims included 13 males and four females, police said. The motive for the shooting was still unknown, police said, adding that the suspects torched two vehicles before fleeing. In a separate shooting at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town early on Sunday, gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 11 more.

Five of the victims were declared dead at the scene while the others succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital. No suspect has been arrested in either case, police said. The attacks come as South Africa, awash with legal and illegal firearms, grapples with persistent gun violence often linked to gang rivalries and competition among informal businesses. The country of about 62 million people records roughly 60 murders a day, among the highest rates globally.

In March, soldiers moved into violence hotspots in Johannesburg to support police efforts to tackle rampant crime, described by President Cyril Ramaphosa as one of the biggest threats facing the country. South Africa has repeatedly turned to the army in times of crisis, from enforcing strict Covid?19 lockdowns in 2020 to deploying troops during the deadly riots sparked by the jailing of ex?president Jacob Zuma in 2021.Soldiers were also sent into the streets in 2023 after a wave of truck burnings raised fears of wider unrest.

In 2019, around 1,300 soldiers were deployed to back up police in the gang-afflicted Cape Flats areas surrounding Cape Town. Yet shootings and other violent crime remain a persistent threat. In Johannesburg, 10 women have been killed in a single municipality in two months, the latest found on Saturday semi-naked and stoned to death.

A suspect has been taken into custody, police said. The nine other victims were mostly in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault. Police have offered a 400,000 rand ($25,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers, while the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's second-largest political party, has put up a further $31,000.

Agence France-Presse