Gunmen killed at least 27 people in two separate attacks near South Africa’s two largest cities over the weekend, police said on Sunday. The first incident took place on Saturday evening, when eight gunmen with assault rifles stormed a bar west of Johannesburg. The attack was in Wedela township, about 80 kilometres southwest of the city, and killed 17 people and wounded 15. The gunmen fired on customers drinking outside before moving indoors to continue shooting.
In a second attack early Sunday at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town, gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 11. The shooting happened in Lwandle shortly before 2 a.m. Five victims were declared dead at the scene, and the others died on the way to hospital. Police said no suspects had been arrested in either attack.
Investigators have offered only tentative explanations. Police said the motive for the Wedela shooting was still unknown, and that the suspects set fire to two vehicles before fleeing. Investigators are examining whether the Wedela attack was linked to illegal-mining rivalries and whether the Lwandle shooting involved a business dispute. These are preliminary lines of inquiry, not established motives.
The attacks come amid a broader run of violence. NPR reported that a spate of mass shootings in three major South African cities killed nearly 40 people this week. Days earlier, 11 people died in a shooting at a house party near Durban. According to Daily Maverick, at least 196 people have been killed in mass shootings in South Africa since January 2026. The 17 deaths in Wedela make it the deadliest mass shooting of 2026, surpassing the 13 killed in a Johannesburg massacre on June 9.
The killings have added to pressure on the authorities. In March, soldiers were sent into violence hotspots in Johannesburg to support police, and President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the crime wave as one of the biggest threats facing the country. Ramaphosa said on television that the situation could not continue as it is. The violence also coincides with public anger over the bodies of women found near Johannesburg’s airport and with televised hearings of the Madlanga commission into police corruption.
South Africa is awash with legal and illegal firearms, and gun violence is often linked to gang rivalries and competition among informal businesses. Between April and June, the country recorded 5,427 homicides, an average of nearly 60 a day, mostly in impoverished districts. The concern over gun violence and organised crime is growing ahead of South Africa’s November municipal elections.
Police have launched manhunts in both provinces and have not yet released the victims’ identities, saying they will be published once next of kin are informed. Death tolls vary between outlets as more victims die of their wounds, so these figures may change.
