Two mass shootings kill at least 27 people in South Africa

At least 27 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings within hours of each other in South Africa.

The first attack late on Saturday saw eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols open fire at a bar near Johannesburg, killing 17 people, according to the South African Police Service.

The attackers fired at people outside the small venue in Wedela township before moving inside and continuing to shoot.

Police said the victims included 13 men and four women, with at least 15 other people injured.

The gunmen searched some of the people and took their mobile phones before escaping in two vehicles, while two cars were also set alight outside the bar during the shooting.

Another 10 people were killed and 11 more injured roughly four hours later in Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, in a shooting at a store linked to what police described as an entertainment venue.

Video from the scene showed people dancing and singing in a crowded outdoor area when a burst of shots is heard, followed by screams, according to Reuters news agency.

Witness Kamvalethu Galada said she initially thought the sound was fireworks and continued dancing until everyone dropped to the ground.

She told Reuters: "After we were laying on the floor we just heard gunshots continuously, and then probably after like 10 to 20, 15 minutes, everyone stood up trying to... run away."

"Bodies were laying around us, bodies laying on top of other people that are literally alive."

Police say they have deployed specialised units to both townships and surrounding areas in the hunt for the gunmen in the shootings, but have made no arrests.

They said they were still working to establish the motives for the shootings, but initial investigations suggested one could be a turf war between illegal miners and the other a business rivalry.

Read more:
Spain housing crisis protest after 87-year-old woman evicted
Man in his 80s dies in house fire

South Africa's president Cyril Ramaphosa also said police had images of the suspects in the Wedela shooting and were trying to track them down.

The latest attacks come just five days after 11 people were killed after three men opened fire at a property in KwaMakhutha, situated around 19 miles (30km) south of the city of Durban on the east coast. No arrests have been reported.

South Africa has long had a high murder rate, but mass shootings have become more prevalent in recent times, according to experts, who say it is a symptom of organised crime gangs taking advantage of the failures and sometimes absence of police.

Mr Ramaphosa said after the latest shootings: "This cannot go on like this. This is the level of criminality that we must bring down, and our security forces are now going to continue pulling out all stops."

Police statistics for South Africa show there was an average of nearly 60 homicides a day between April and June this year.

(c) Sky News 2026: Two mass shootings kill at least 27 people in South Africa