Gunmen kill 27 in South Africa shootings

Gunmen have killed 27 people in two separate mass shootings in South Africa. The first incident occurred on Saturday evening in a bar close to Johannesburg, where 17 people were killed and 15 injured. According to MyJoyOnline Ghana, eight suspects, reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols, stormed a tavern in Wedela, southwest of Johannesburg, at around 9:30pm.

The gunmen fired at people gathered outside before going inside, where more shots were fired. Some customers were searched during the attack and had their mobile phones taken. The suspects then escaped in two vehicles, setting two other vehicles on fire.

In a separate shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 people were killed and 11 injured outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town. Adom Online reported that five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital. The motive for either shooting is not clear, and no arrests have been made.

These incidents are part of a recent spate of mass shootings in South Africa, which has one of the highest murder rates in the world. According to BBC News, about 60 murders are recorded every day in the country. The incidents have raised fears that the problem of gun violence is getting worse.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Adom Online, MyJoyOnline Ghana, IOL, BBC News — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.