No fewer than 27 people have lost their lives and 26 others sustained injuries in two separate mass shootings near South Africa's major cities, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
In the first attack on Saturday night, 17 people were killed and 15 others wounded when eight gunmen reportedly invaded a tavern in Wedela, roughly 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg.
Police said the assailants, armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols, opened fire on people outside the bar before moving inside and continuing to shoot at patrons. They reportedly searched some victims and made off with their mobile phones before fleeing in two vehicles. Two vehicles were also set ablaze.
Police have launched a manhunt for the eight suspects, and no arrests have been made. Investigators are probing whether the attack was tied to a turf war involving illegal miners, locally called zama zamas. Police also suggested it could have been payback for an earlier shooting at the same tavern.
In a separate attack in the early hours of Sunday, 10 people were killed and 11 others injured when gunmen opened fire at a shisanyama, a spot known for selling grilled meat, in Lwandle near Cape Town.
Police said five victims died at the scene while five others later succumbed to their injuries after being taken to medical facilities. Detectives are hunting the perpetrators, with a possible business dispute identified as one line of inquiry.
The attacks came just days after 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in another mass shooting at a house party near Durban.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the latest attacks, saying security forces would keep up efforts to tackle criminality across the country.
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