At least 27 people have been killed in two separate shooting attacks in Johannesburg and the Cape Town area, marking another grim spike in mass gun violence across South Africa.
The attacks unfolded within hours of each other, leaving more than two dozen people dead and several others seriously wounded in the country’s economic hub and its most popular tourist destination.
What happened in Johannesburg and Cape Town
In Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on a group of people at an informal establishment in a working-class neighbourhood. In Cape Town, shots rang out in a peri-urban area known for gang rivalries and organised crime.
Police say unidentified armed men carried out both attacks, firing indiscriminately at groups of people before fleeing in vehicles.
Police response and manhunt
Officers were deployed in force to both crime scenes. A manhunt is under way to identify and arrest the attackers, who remain at large.
No arrests have been announced so far.
The pattern behind South Africa’s mass shootings
This latest bloodshed has once again exposed the country’s alarming level of insecurity. South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.
Recurring drivers of the violence include:
- Fights over control of drug trafficking and extortion networks, known as gangsterism, in the townships.
- Deadly rivalries between minibus taxi associations.
- The unchecked flow of illegal firearms.
Authorities have repeatedly promised to boost police presence and curb weapons trafficking. Yet mass killings have multiplied in recent years, fuelling growing outrage and frustration among South Africans.
