17 dead, 15 wounded at tavern near Johannesburg

10 killed on Cape Town outskirts 4 hours later

Police pursuing suspects; no arrests made

11 killed in separate Durban shooting last week

Police tape cordons off the scene of a shooting in Kwamakuta, south of Durban, South Africa, on Saturday that left 11 people dead and three others wounded. [EPA]
Police tape cordons off the scene of a shooting in Kwamakuta, south of Durban, South Africa, on Saturday that left 11 people dead and three others wounded. [EPA]

At least 27 people were killed and 26 others wounded in two separate shootings near Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa, within roughly four hours. Police are pursuing suspects in both attacks.

According to AP, Reuters and other international news agencies, armed assailants stormed a tavern in Wedela township, about 80 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg, at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday (local time).

Eight suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and handguns opened fire on patrons outside the tavern before entering and shooting again inside, investigators said. The attack killed 17 people — 13 men and four women — at the scene and wounded 15 others.

The assailants stole mobile phones from some of the patrons before fleeing in a vehicle. The motive has not yet been established.

About four hours after the first attack, gunfire erupted on the outskirts of Cape Town. At around 1:46 a.m. Sunday (local time), an armed assailant opened fire on customers at a shop in Langa township, killing 10 people and wounding 11 others.

A resident reacts at the scene of a shooting in Langa, Western Cape province, South Africa, on Sunday that left 10 people dead and 11 others wounded. [Reuters]
A resident reacts at the scene of a shooting in Langa, Western Cape province, South Africa, on Sunday that left 10 people dead and 11 others wounded. [Reuters]

Police are tracking multiple suspects in connection with both shootings. No arrests have been made so far.

South Africa has seen a string of mass shootings in recent weeks. Just five days earlier, on Wednesday, three armed men opened fire on people at a party inside a house in Kwamakuta, south of Durban, killing 11 people — including a woman believed to have been pregnant — and wounding three others. The South African government has deployed police to hunt down the perpetrators.

Violent crime remains a serious problem in the country. Police statistics show 5,427 murders were recorded between April and June this year, an average of roughly 60 deaths per day. However, that figure represents a 5.9 percent decline from the same period the previous year.

In Ekurhuleni, which borders Johannesburg, the bodies of nine women have been discovered over the past two months, and police are investigating whether the cases are linked. Officers recently arrested two women in connection with one of the deaths but have yet to determine whether the same perpetrator is responsible for the others.


kwater@heraldcorp.com