At least 27 people have been killed in two separate mass shootings in South Africa within hours of each other.
BBC News reports that 17 people were killed after eight gunmen stormed a bar near Johannesburg on Saturday evening, while another 10 people were killed outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town early on Sunday. Dozens of others were wounded in the two attacks.
In the Johannesburg-area attack, the gunmen reportedly opened fire on customers outside the bar before continuing the shooting inside. Police said 13 men and four women were killed, while 15 people were injured.
The attackers also reportedly set two vehicles alight before fleeing the scene.
Gauteng police commissioner Lieutenant-General Tommy Mthombeni said people from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those caught up in the shooting, although most of the victims were South African.
Police have suggested robbery as one possible motive after personal belongings were taken, but investigators have not ruled out a connection to conflicts involving illegal mining groups.
In the Cape Town-area shooting, five people died at the scene and another five died in hospital. Eleven others were injured.
No arrests had been reported in either case at the time of the BBC report, while police investigations continued.
The shootings occurred only days after 11 people were killed when gunmen attacked a house in KwaMakhutha township near Durban, adding to growing concern about a recent series of mass-casualty shootings.
South Africa has struggled with high levels of violent crime and the widespread availability of illegal firearms. BBC reports that about 60 murders are recorded each day in the country, with some mass shootings linked to gang conflicts, drug trafficking and illegal mining.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has previously described organised crime as a major threat to South Africa’s democracy, society and economic development. Earlier this year, the military was deployed alongside police in areas experiencing particularly high murder rates.
The latest attacks are likely to intensify scrutiny of law enforcement, illegal firearms and organised criminal networks as authorities investigate the circumstances and motives behind the shootings.
