South Africa Bar Shooting Kills 17, Manhunt Launched

Attackers carrying rifles shot dead at least 17 people and injured 15 more at a tavern in Wedela township, west of Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday around 9:30 p.m. local time, police said. The attack was one of two mass shootings reported across the country overnight, with a separate incident in Lwandle, near Cape Town, leaving 10 people dead and 11 wounded.¹²³

The Johannesburg attack

According to police, suspects opened fire on customers drinking outside the tavern before moving inside to continue shooting. Paramedics pronounced 13 men and four women dead on site, while the remaining 15 injured victims were transported to hospitals for treatment.²¹³

According to police, the attackers reportedly went through some patrons' belongings and stole their phones before escaping. "They allegedly searched some patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing the scene in two unidentified motor vehicles," police said. According to one account, the suspects also torched two vehicles before leaving in two other unidentified cars.¹³

A police statement said the attackers were carrying AK-47 rifles and handguns. Police in Gauteng province are searching for eight unnamed armed suspects, and as of the most recent updates, no one had been taken into custody. The motive for the attack was not known.²¹³

Authorities said they had assembled a group of investigators along with other specialized units to locate and capture those responsible. "Police have mobilised a team of detectives and other specialised units to trace and apprehend the suspects," police said.³

Second attack in Cape Town

In an unrelated incident, attackers fatally shot 10 people and injured 11 others at a nightlife venue in Lwandle, a township near Cape Town, around 1:46 a.m. Five victims died at the scene and five more died after being taken to hospital. As with the other shooting, no suspects have been arrested, and a specialized investigative unit headed by detectives from the serious and violent crimes division has been formed to pursue the perpetrators. Additional law enforcement personnel have been deployed to the region while the investigation proceeds.¹

Taken together, the two incidents left at least 27 people dead overnight across Gauteng and Western Cape provinces, according to Deutsche Welle. The attacks came days after at least 11 people were shot dead at a home in KwaMakhutha, about 30 kilometers south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal Province.¹

Context of crime in South Africa

With a population of roughly 62 million, South Africa ranks among the nations with the highest homicide rates globally, averaging about 60 violent deaths per day, Gulf News reported. Observers note that the nation is flooded with both licensed and unlicensed weapons, and gun violence is frequent, often driven by gang conflicts and rivalry among informal traders.³¹

Gulf News reported that troops were deployed to crime-ridden areas of Johannesburg back in March to assist police in combating what President Cyril Ramaphosa called one of the nation's greatest challenges.³