At least 27 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings in South Africa within hours of each other, as the country continues to battle widespread gun violence.
The first attack occurred on Saturday evening near Johannesburg, where eight gunmen reportedly stormed a bar and opened fire, killing 17 people and injuring 15 others.
A second shooting took place in the early hours of Sunday outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town. Ten people were killed while another 11 sustained injuries.
Police have yet to establish a definite motive for either attack, with no arrests reported as of Sunday morning.
In the Johannesburg incident, the attackers reportedly began shooting at people outside the bar before moving inside and continuing the assault. They also set two vehicles on fire before escaping.
Police said the victims included 13 men and four women.
Gauteng Police Commissioner, Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni, said nationals of Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those affected, although most of the victims were South Africans.
Mthombeni said investigators suspected robbery as one possible motive because the victims’ belongings were taken. However, he said police were also examining a possible connection to conflicts between groups involved in illegal mining.
Illegal mining remains a major challenge in South Africa, particularly around abandoned mine shafts and mining dump sites. Authorities say many of those involved are undocumented migrants recruited by organised criminal groups.
Earlier, deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana suggested that the Johannesburg shooting could have been carried out in retaliation for an earlier incident.
According to AFP, Kekana said one person was killed and another injured in the previous incident last month.
He told reporters at the scene that investigators had obtained clear images of some of the suspected attackers and, in certain cases, had identified their names.
Meanwhile, the Cape Town shooting occurred outside an entertainment venue in a township during the early hours of Sunday.
Five victims died at the scene, while another five succumbed to their injuries after being taken to hospital. Eleven others were injured.
Police had not announced any arrests in either shooting by Sunday morning.
South Africa has long struggled with gun-related crime and has one of the highest murder rates globally. The country, with a population of about 62 million, records roughly 60 murders each day.
Authorities have also expressed concern over a recent series of mass shootings, with some incidents reportedly connected to conflicts between criminal groups involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa described organised crime as “the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development.”
