Govind Tekale
Two mass shootings hit South Africa’s two biggest cities within hours on Saturday night and early Sunday. Eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed a tavern in Wedela, killing 17. Just four hours later, another group opened fire at a store in Lwandle near Cape Town, leaving 10 dead. No arrests have been made.
South African police confirmed 27 people killed across two separate mass shootings in townships near Johannesburg and Cape Town. The first attack began around 9:30pm Saturday in Extension 3, Wedela, in Gauteng province’s West Rand district. Eight suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols fired at patrons outside a bar, then moved inside to continue shooting. Victims included 13 men and 4 women. Emergency services declared 13 males and 4 females dead at the scene. Investigators say some customers were searched and their mobile phones taken before the gunmen fled in two vehicles. Two other vehicles were set alight. About four hours later, after midnight Sunday, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded in a mass shooting at a store in Lwandle township near Cape Town. Police have opened 17 murder cases, 15 attempted murder cases, and 2 property damage cases. No arrests have been announced.
If you travel to South Africa, know that the country averages nearly 60 homicides a day — 5,427 in the last quarter alone. Mass shootings in township bars and entertainment venues are becoming more common, and police response in these areas can exceed 30 minutes. The South African government deployed soldiers to high-crime zones in March, but gun violence persists. Check travel advisories before visiting Gauteng or Western Cape townships.
A pattern, not an isolated incident. The Wedela and Lwandle shootings came just days after a house party shooting near Durban killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman, on September 23. In June, 12 people died in a Johannesburg township shooting. In December, two shootings in two weeks left 21 dead. South Africa has one of the world’s highest homicide rates, and shootings are the most common form of killing, according to police and crime experts.
Phone records and burn patterns suggest the suspects planned their escape routes in advance — forensic evidence most reports overlook.
How many people died in the South Africa shootings?
27 people were killed — 17 at a bar in Wedela near Johannesburg and 10 at a store in Lwandle near Cape Town. More than 20 others were wounded.
South African police are hunting eight suspects across two provinces. The manhunt continues as authorities piece together evidence from the crime scenes. Updates are expected in the coming days as arrests are made. Follow developments on the South Africa mass shootings investigation.
