Three shootings, at least 32 dead

South African police launched manhunts after separate mass shootings in Wedela in West Rand District outside Johannesburg, Lwandle in Western Cape, and Khayelitsha in Western Cape over the weekend.

Ramaphosa pledges stronger action

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that violence and criminality must be brought down, pledging stronger action by security forces to reduce violent crime in the country.

“Violence and criminality continues to spread in our country. This is the level of criminality that we must bring down.”

Gangs fighting over territory and crime

Authorities have linked the attacks to criminal gangs fighting over territory or illicit businesses including illegal mining, drug trafficking, and extortion in impoverished townships.

Eighteen killed in Wedela tavern attack

Eight men opened fire on patrons outside a tavern in Wedela at around nine thirty pm on Saturday, killing seventeen at the scene and wounding fifteen. Another victim died in hospital, bringing the death toll to eighteen.

Wedela attack details emerge

The attackers allegedly carried pistols and AK forty seven rifles, searched some patrons and stole cellphones before escaping in two unidentified vehicles. Two vehicles were also burnt during the attack.

Wedela shooting may be retaliation

Gauteng Deputy Police Commissioner Fred Kekana said police are investigating the attack as possible retaliation for an August shooting at the same tavern that killed one person and wounded another.

Ten killed in Lwandle nighttime attack

Gunmen entered an entertainment venue in Lwandle at around one forty six am on Sunday, killing ten people and wounding at least eleven others. Western Cape Police Commissioner Sizakhele Dyantyi pointed to business rivalry as a possible motive.

Four dead in Khayelitsha shooting

Police responded to reports of a shooting in Khayelitsha at around seven fifteen pm on Saturday, finding three men dead with multiple gunshot wounds. A fourth victim died upon arrival at a medical facility.

Mass shootings surge despite crime decline

South Africa is confronting a spate of mass shootings in its poorest communities. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime tracked forty one mass killings resulting in around one hundred ninety six deaths since January.

Illegal guns and police corruption fuel violence

More than two million illegal guns exist in South Africa despite strict gun ownership regulations. Allegations of police corruption have also undermined public trust, prompting Ramaphosa to announce a national investigation last year that led to more than a dozen arrests of senior officers.