Emergency personnel cordon off an area next to burnt vehicles at the site of a deadly shooting at a tavern in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, September 27, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
South African police were on Sunday hunting the perpetrators of two separate shootings that killed 27 people within hours of each other, in stark reminders of the country’s problem with gun violence.
The motives for the shootings near Johannesburg and Cape Town were unknown, but gang violence and organised crime remain rife in South Africa, despite government efforts to curb one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world.
Onlookers gathered behind police lines at the scene of the shooting in Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, where gunmen opened fire in a venue selling grilled meat around 2:00am on Sunday (12:00 GMT), killing 10 people and injuring 11 more.
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In Wedela township, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Johannesburg, 17 people were killed and 15 injured at a tavern when suspects armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire at around 9:30pm on Saturday, according to police.
Threat to democracy
Two burnt vehicles could be seen outside the tavern as authorities cordoned off the area on Sunday morning.
No arrests have been made yet and detectives are working to find the perpetrators, police said in statements.
“South Africa has a serious illegal firearms problem, and firearms are frequently used by organised criminal groups as well as in gang-related and other violent crimes,” said crime expert Yusuf Abramjee.
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“Every mass shooting should therefore trigger more than an investigation into the immediate perpetrators,” he told Reuters. “Authorities need to look at the wider networks behind the violence.”
Crime is expected to be a major issue for voters in municipal elections in November, when the African National Congress is facing further erosion of voter support.
President Cyril Ramaphosa said earlier this year that organised crime had become the biggest threat to South Africa’s democracy, and deployed the army to help police in some areas.
A shooting at a house party near Durban last week killed 11 people, while a series of women’s bodies found near Johannesburg since July has renewed fear and anger over high rates of femicide.
