Two separate shootings left at least 27 people dead in South Africa on the night of September 26-27. The first, in a tavern in Wedela, near Johannesburg, killed 17 people and injured 15, according to the initial toll. An attack near Cape Town left 10 dead. One of the Wedela victims later died in hospital, bringing the death toll from that shooting to 18, according to a police update reported by the press on Monday.
Two attacks in a few hours
In Wedela, a town located about 80 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg, eight armed men opened fire on patrons of a bar. The initial police statement, relayed by the South African government on September 28, reported 17 dead and 15 wounded. A police update reported the same day by Eyewitness News indicated that one wounded person had died in hospital, bringing the death toll to 18.
A second, separate shooting left ten dead near Cape Town. Both attacks occurred just days after another deadly raid near Durban: on September 22, three gunmen stormed a party at a private residence and killed eleven people, including a pregnant woman.
The motives remain uncertain.
Willem Els, of the Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, believes the three attacks could be linked to organized crime, while emphasizing that their motives differ. According to his analysis, the shooting near Cape Town could be related to extortion. The Gauteng attack bears similarities to previous clashes between gangs of illegal miners. These remain hypotheses attributed to the expert.
The report highlights that shootings regularly involve illegal, high-caliber weapons. Stanley Maphosa, director of the NGO Gun Free South Africa, states that weapons are lost or stolen, including within the security forces. He also mentions the past involvement of high-ranking police officials in arms trafficking from state stockpiles.
A high level of violence
South Africa records an average of 60 homicides per day, according to data cited in the report. The country has thus long grappled with a particularly high level of violent crime. The national association of gun owners estimates that between two and six million illegal firearms are circulating in the country.
Source: DW-WORLD´s French Homepage (www.dw.com)
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