In short
- South African police said 17 people were killed when eight gunmen opened fire at a tavern in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg, on Saturday night.
- Ten people were killed and 11 wounded in a shooting at a shisanyama venue in Lwandle, near Cape Town, at about 1.46am on Sunday.
- No arrests had been made in either attack by Sunday, and Gauteng police launched a manhunt for the eight unidentified suspects in the Wedela shooting.
- South Africa recorded a murder rate of almost 40 per 100,000 people in 2024, the ninth-highest in the world that year, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
- Police data show more than 22,700 people were murdered in South Africa in the 12 months to 30 June.
At least 27 people were killed and 26 wounded in two separate mass shootings in South Africa over the weekend of 26-27 September 2026, police said. Eight gunmen attacked a tavern in Wedela township, near Johannesburg, and a second attack hit a venue in Lwandle, near Cape Town. No arrests had been made.
How many people were killed in the two shootings?
South African police said 17 people were killed on Saturday night at a tavern in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg, when eight suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire. At least 15 other people were injured by gunfire there. In a separate statement, police said 10 people were killed and 11 wounded at a shisanyama venue selling grilled meat in Lwandle, near Cape Town, where gunmen opened fire at about 1.46am on Sunday.
Have police made any arrests?
No arrests had been made in either of the two mass shootings that killed at least 27 people in one weekend, police said. Gauteng police said on Sunday morning they had launched a manhunt for the eight unidentified suspects in the Wedela attack. Western Cape police said a team led by serious violent crime detectives was investigating the Lwandle shooting, where five people died at the scene and five others died after being taken to medical facilities.
What have police said about the attacks?
Captain Tintswalo Sibeko, a police spokesperson, said patrons were drinking inside and outside the tavern when the suspects arrived and opened fire on those outside. “The suspects then entered the tavern and continued shooting at patrons inside,” Sibeko said, adding that the gunmen searched some patrons, took their cellphones and fled in two unidentified vehicles. Two vehicles were also set alight during the incident. Gauteng police commissioner Tommy Mthombeni told reporters that one line of inquiry was a “turf war in terms of illegal mining”, and said the attack could have been retaliation for a shooting at the same tavern about a month earlier.
What has President Cyril Ramaphosa said?
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told local television news channels: “This cannot go on like this.” He added: “This is the level of criminality that we must bring down, and our security forces are now going to continue pulling out all stops.”
How high is violent crime in South Africa?
The two shootings followed a mass shooting at a house party near Durban that killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman. South Africa recorded a murder rate of almost 40 per 100,000 people in 2024, the ninth-highest in the world that year, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. Police data show more than 22,700 people were murdered in the 12 months to 30 June.
The discovery of numerous women’s bodies near Johannesburg’s airport since July, most of them in recent weeks, has led to renewed anger about gender-based violence in South Africa, and the Madlanga commission judicial inquiry has examined allegations of corruption and criminality within the police in televised hearings over the past year.
Frequently asked questions
How many people died in the South Africa mass shootings?
At least 27 people were killed in two separate shootings in one weekend. Seventeen died at a tavern in Wedela township near Johannesburg and 10 at a shisanyama venue in Lwandle near Cape Town.
Have police arrested anyone for the shootings?
No arrests had been made in either attack, police said. Gauteng police launched a manhunt for eight unidentified suspects in the Wedela shooting, and Western Cape detectives were searching for the Lwandle gunmen.
Where did the shootings take place?
One attack was at a tavern in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg, and the other at a grilled-meat venue in Lwandle, near Cape Town.
What is South Africa’s murder rate?
South Africa recorded a murder rate of almost 40 per 100,000 people in 2024, the ninth-highest in the world that year, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.
With reporting from The Guardian.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)