Two mass shootings in South Africa kill 28, police investigate motives

Updated: 2 hours ago

Image caption: Gunmen torched vehicles as they fled the scene of a mass shooting at a bar near Johannesburg

By Sean Seddon and Thuthuka Zondi, reporting from Johannesburg

Twenty-eight people have been killed in two mass shootings hours apart in South Africa, the latest gun violence to hit the country.

• Johannesburg shooting (Saturday evening): 18 people killed, 14 injured. Eight gunmen stormed a bar, opened fire on customers outside, continued the attack inside, and torched two vehicles before fleeing.
• Cape Town shooting (early Sunday morning): 10 people killed, 11 injured. The attack occurred outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town.

Investigation and Motive

Police have not given a definitive motive for either attack.

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni said:

• Only four of those killed in Johannesburg have been identified so far.
• People from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among the victims, but the vast majority were South African.
• The motive behind the shooting is believed to be robbery, as personal belongings were taken.
• Police cannot rule out turf wars between illegal mining groups.

Deputy provincial police commissioner Maj Gen Fred Kekana said the attack may have been a retaliation for an incident last month, in which one person was killed and another wounded, according to news agency AFP. He added that police have clear pictures and, in some cases, names for the suspects.

Cape Town Shooting

In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five died in hospital. No arrests had been made in either case as of Sunday morning.

Image caption: In Johannesburg, gunmen torched two vehicles after opening fire on customers at a bar.

Broader Context

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world and has struggled to contain gang-related gun violence in recent years.

• Illegal mining: Mining without permission in abandoned shafts or dump sites is a persistent problem, causing numerous deaths from unsafe conditions. Authorities say the miners are typically undocumented migrants recruited by organised crime gangs.
• Illegal weapons: Gun violence has been a persistent problem for decades, with about 60 murders recorded every day in the country of 62 million.
• Recent spate of mass shootings: Violence is often linked to turf wars between gangs engaged in drug trafficking and illegal mining.
• Presidential response: In February, President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime "the most immediate threat to our democracy, our society and our economic development."
• Military deployment: Earlier this year, the military was deployed alongside police in areas with the highest murder rates in an effort to reduce armed violence.

Related Incidents

• The two mass shootings came days after 11 people were killed in the city of Durban when gunmen stormed a house in the KwaMakhutha township.
• On Saturday, a tenth woman's body was found in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. Local police said they were unable to rule out a serial killer operating in the area, citing similarities between the deaths.

Image caption: Armed security forces were deployed to the scene of a mass shooting in Cape Town on Sunday morning

Related Topics

• South Africa
• Gun crime
• Mass shootings
• Johannesburg
• Africa