Gunmen kill 27 in South Africa shootings

Gunmen have killed at least 27 people in two separate mass shootings in South Africa. The shootings occurred in bars in Johannesburg and Cape Town. According to the Business Recorder, 17 people were killed and 15 injured in a tavern in Wedela township, about 80 km from Johannesburg, when suspects armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire at around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday. In Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, gunmen opened fire in a venue selling grilled meat around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, killing 10 people and injuring 11 more.

The motives for the shootings are unknown. South Africa has one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world and has struggled with gang-related gun violence. According to crime expert Yusuf Abramjee, quoted by the Business Recorder, "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."

Police have not made any arrests and are working to find the perpetrators. The Adom Online reports that in Johannesburg, gunmen opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the attack inside and torching two vehicles before fleeing. In Cape Town, five victims died at the scene and a further five people died in hospital.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, ABC News AU, Business Recorder, Adom Online — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.