South Africa shootings have left 28 people dead and 25 others injured after two mass attacks occurred just hours apart in Johannesburg and near Cape Town. Police are investigating both incidents, but no definitive motive has been established for either attack.
The first shooting happened on Saturday evening when eight gunmen reportedly stormed a bar near Johannesburg. Eighteen people were killed and another 14 were injured after the attackers opened fire on customers outside before continuing the assault inside the venue.
Police said the gunmen also set two vehicles on fire before escaping from the scene. Only four of those killed had been identified by Sunday morning, while investigators continued working to establish the circumstances surrounding the South Africa shootings.
Johannesburg Shooting Under Police Investigation
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni said people from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those caught up in the Johannesburg attack. However, he said the vast majority of those affected were South African.
Mthombeni said police believed robbery could have been the motive because personal belongings were taken during the attack. However, investigators have not ruled out the possibility that the shooting was connected to turf wars involving illegal mining groups.
Illegal mining remains a persistent problem in South Africa, particularly around abandoned shafts and mining dump sites. Authorities have said people involved in these activities are often undocumented migrants recruited by organised crime groups.
Earlier, deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana suggested the Johannesburg shooting could have been retaliation for an incident last month. That earlier incident left one person dead and another wounded, according to news agency AFP.
Kekana said police had clear images of suspects and, in some cases, had obtained their names. No arrests had been announced in connection with the Johannesburg shooting by Sunday morning.
Cape Town Shooting Adds to South Africa Gun Violence
Hours after the Johannesburg attack, another shooting took place outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town during the early hours of Sunday. Ten people were killed and 11 others were injured.
Five of the Cape Town victims died at the scene, while another five died after being taken to hospital. Armed security forces were deployed as police secured the area and began investigating the circumstances surrounding the attack.
No arrests had been made in either incident by Sunday morning. The Cape Town shooting further intensified concerns over South Africa gun violence, which has remained a persistent problem for decades.
The two South Africa shootings also came only days after 11 people were killed in Durban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township. The recent attacks have added to concern over a series of deadly shootings across the country.
South Africa Faces Persistent Gun Violence
South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with about 60 murders recorded each day in the country of 62 million people. Illegal firearms are widespread, while gang-related violence has remained a long-running challenge.
Recent mass shootings have frequently been associated with conflicts between criminal groups involved in activities including drug trafficking and illegal mining. Police have yet to establish whether the latest attacks are connected to those wider patterns.
In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa described organised crime as “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development”.
Earlier this year, the military was deployed alongside police in areas recording some of the country’s highest murder rates as authorities sought to reduce armed violence.
On Saturday, a tenth woman’s body was discovered in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. Local police said they could not rule out the possibility of a serial killer operating in the area, citing similarities between the deaths.
The latest South Africa shootings have therefore placed renewed attention on the country’s continuing struggle with gun violence, organised crime and deadly attacks. Police investigations into both shootings remain ongoing, with authorities yet to announce arrests or definitive motives.