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South Africa was shocked this weekend by the shootings in two taverns that left at least 19 people dead. In the early hours of this Sunday, July 10, in the municipality of Soweto, a group of men got out of a vehicle and fired indiscriminately, leaving at least 15 attendees dead. Hours earlier, in a similar event, four people died in the city of Pietermaritzburg, in the east of the country.
The South African authorities are trying to clarify the circumstances surrounding two fatal shootings in two towns, recorded this weekend.
The event that left the most fatalities occurred in the municipality of Soweto, on the outskirts of Johannesburg, in the early hours of this July 10, when “a group of men armed with rifles and 9mm pistols entered the tavern and began to randomly shoot customers who were seated,” police said in a statement.
15 people died and 9 were injured, according to the latest reports from the authorities. According to witnesses, the attackers arrived at the scene aboard a Toyota minibus and many of the victims lost their lives as they tried to flee the scene, Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Elias said. Mawela.
“It appears that a high-caliber firearm was used and was firing at random. It can be seen that each of those people was struggling to get out of the tavern. The number of cartridges shows that it was a group of people (shooting),” Mawela explained.
South Africa Police Say 15 Killed in Bar Shooting in Soweto
Gunmen armed with rifles and pistols opened fire at people in a bar in the South African township of Soweto in the early hours of Sunday, killing 15 and wounding nine. https://t.co/d7aDy6bP5a pic.twitter.com/y68lY6EeIt— ARISE NEWS (@ARISEtv) July 10, 2022
The possible motives for the massacre are still unknown. According to the authorities, the assailants entered the bar and fired indiscriminately. However, this version contradicts the first reports that the attackers would have specifically targeted their victims.
Dimakatso Sello, a spokesman for Gauteng province, announced that a special team, led by a senior investigator, had been formed to investigate the events.
“There was no history of problems with the tavern in regards to the Police,” said Sello.
All the people present at the time of the attack were over 18 years of age and the bar was operating within the legal hours of operation, Gauteng Prime Minister David Makhura stressed, quoted by the ‘Sunday Times’ of South Africa.
Four killed in a second shooting at a bar
Shortly before what happened in the municipality of Soweto, another violent incident with firearms was recorded in a bar in the city of Pietermaritzburg, in the east of the nation.
According to police sources quoted by the local media ‘Times’, two men got out of a car, entered a tavern and opened fire on customers.
Two people died at the scene and two others died later when they were transferred to medical centers.
The Police investigate these events as criminal incidents, in a country where insecurity and high homicides are a serious problem.
The events of this weekend occurred when South Africa is still in shock over the discovery of 21 minors in a nightclub in East London, in the southeast of the country, two weeks ago. An incident still under investigation, after the Police indicated that they had found no apparent signs of physical violence and ruled out a stampede.
With Reuters, EFE and local media
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