At least 27 people were killed and 26 wounded in two mass shootings in South Africa within hours of each other, prompting police manhunts.
The deadliest attack took place late Saturday at a bar in Wedela, southwest of Johannesburg, where eight gunmen reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire on patrons, killing 17 people and wounding 15.
According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), people were drinking inside and outside the bar when the attackers arrived at around 9:30 PM local time. They opened fire on those outside before entering the bar and continuing the rampage there. The suspects allegedly searched some patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing in two unidentified vehicles. Two other vehicles were set on fire.
Thirteen men and four women were pronounced dead at the scene, and the wounded were taken to hospitals. Footage posted online appears to show the moment the shooting began, with people abruptly falling silent mid-song, then screaming as gunshots ring out in the background.
Police have mobilized detectives and specialized units to hunt down the suspects. No arrests have been announced and the motive remains unknown.
Hours later, another mass shooting struck an entertainment venue in Lwandle, outside Cape Town, around 1,000 km (620 miles) away. Gunmen entered the establishment at around 2:00 AM Sunday and opened fire on patrons. Five people died at the scene and another five succumbed to their injuries in hospital, according to police. Eleven others were wounded; a search for the attackers has been launched.
The bloodshed comes amid South Africa’s longstanding struggle with rampant violent crime and gun-related killings. The country consistently has among the world’s highest homicide rates and has one of the highest in Africa. The massacres came just days after another mass shooting in KwaZulu-Natal province, near Durban, where gunmen stormed a house party and killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman.
Earlier this year, President Cyril Ramaphosa described organized crime as the “most immediate threat” to the country. In March, he authorized the deployment of more than 2,000 troops to support police in crime hotspots across five provinces heavily affected by gang violence and illegal mining: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, North West, and Western Cape.
Despite efforts to stem the violence, South Africa continues to record high levels of violent crime. The latest quarterly police statistics show 5,427 murders from April to June. While slightly down from 5,770 over the same period last year, the figure amounts to nearly 60 murders per day.
Ramaphosa condemned the shootings on Sunday, saying “it cannot go on like this,” as he vowed that the security forces will “pull out all stops” to tackle the violence. He said the authorities will use technology to help track the attackers, but stressed that broader action is needed to stop people from “just pick[ing] up guns and starting shooting people at random.”