• 26 injured in massacres at drinking venues near Johannesburg, Cape Town
• President vows an all-out security crackdown; says police have suspects’ images as manhunt is launched
JOHANNESBURG: South African police on Sunday were hunting the perpetrators of two separate shootings that killed 27 people within hours of each other,
highlighting the country’s rampant gun violence.
“This cannot go on like this,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said of the incidents, which came only days after another shooting killed 11 people at a house party near Durban.
Authorities were working to establish motives for the shootings near Johannesburg and Cape Town. Initial investigations suggested one could be a turf war between illegal miners and the other a business rivalry.
“This is the level of criminality that we must bring down, and our security forces are now going to continue pulling out all stops,” Ramaphosa said.
In Wedela township, about 50 miles from Johannesburg, 17 people were killed and 15 injured at a tavern when suspects armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire Saturday evening. Ramaphosa said police had images of the suspects and were working to track them down.
Residents said illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas”, live in the area, where gangs control the illicit gold-mining trade and guard shafts with military-grade weapons.
Witness Siyabonga Vokwana said he was in the tavern when eight people wearing balaclavas and jackets from Lesotho entered and checked who was inside. “After checking, they start shooting,” Vokwana said.
Provincial police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said one line of inquiry was that the shooting was a “turf war in terms of illegal mining”. He added it could be retaliation for another shooting at the same tavern a month ago. Victims included South Africans, Lesotho nationals and one Ethiopian.
In Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, gunmen opened fire at a drinking venue on Sunday, killing 10 people and injuring 11.
Witness Kamvalethu Galada said she initially thought the sound was fireworks and continued dancing until everyone dropped to the ground. “After we were lying on the floor, we just heard gunshots continuously, and then probably after, like, 10 to 20, 15 minutes, everyone stood up trying to ... run away,” Galada said. “Bodies were lying around us, bodies lying on top of other people that are literally alive.”
A police official said, “A business jealousy might have been the issue.” No arrests have been made.
Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026
