Gunmen kill 27 in two South Africa tavern shootings
Detectives have opened 17 counts of murder over the first attack, in Wedela, while the motive for the second shooting, near Cape Town, is still unknown, police said.
Gunmen killed 27 people in two separate shootings at township drinking venues in South Africa within hours of each other over the weekend, the South African Police Service said.
Eight armed men arrived at Dora’s Tavern in Extension 3, Wedela, in the West Rand district of Gauteng, at about 21:30 on 26 September, and opened fire on patrons standing outside before going in and continuing to shoot, according to SAPS.
Five people were killed outside the venue and 12 inside; the dead included nine men and three women shot inside, and four men and one woman shot outside.
Fifteen other people were wounded and taken to hospital. The suspects, who police said were carrying AK-47 rifles and pistols, searched some of the victims and took their cellphones before fleeing in two vehicles; two other vehicles were set alight at the scene.
SAPS opened 17 counts of murder, 15 counts of attempted murder and two counts of malicious damage to property over the Wedela attack, and Captain Tintswalo Sibeko said detectives and specialist police units had been assigned to identify and find the eight suspects. No arrests had been made and the motive was not yet known, police said.
About four hours later, at around 01:46 on 27 September, gunmen opened fire inside a venue selling drinks and braaied meat in Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, killing ten people and wounding eleven, Western Cape police said. Five victims died at the scene and five more died later at medical facilities.
The Western Cape police said the motive for the Lwandle shooting was unknown at this stage, that no arrests had been made and that investigations were continuing. The provincial commissioner set up a multidisciplinary team led by serious violent crime detectives to investigate the attack.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said in a statement on the Wedela shooting: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this senseless loss of life,” adding that there was “no justification for such an attack on innocent people.”