South Africa in Shock After Twin Shootings Kill 27 in One Night

South African police are searching for suspects after two separate shootings killed 27 people within hours of each other, underscoring the country's severe gun violence problem.

President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the attacks, saying, "This cannot go on like this." He added that security forces would continue "pulling out all stops" to bring down the level of criminality. The shootings occurred just days after another attack killed 11 people at a house party near Durban.

In Wedela township, about 80 km from Johannesburg, 17 people were killed and 15 injured when gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles opened fire at a tavern on Saturday evening. Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni said one line of inquiry was a "turf war in terms of illegal mining," and that the attack could be retaliation for a shooting at the same tavern about a month earlier.

Witness Siyabonga Vokwana said eight people wearing balaclavas and Lesotho jackets entered the tavern, checked who was inside, and then started shooting. The victims included South Africans, Lesotho nationals, and one Ethiopian among the wounded. Ramaphosa said police had images of the suspects and were working to track them down.

Residents were reluctant to speak, but one noted that illegal miners, known as zama zamas, live in the area where gangs control illicit gold mining and guard shafts with military-grade weapons. Lesotho-based gangs are known to be active in the trade, which often exploits migrants for labour.

In a separate incident in Lwandle, on the outskirts of Cape Town, gunmen opened fire at a venue where people were drinking at around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, killing 10 and injuring 11. Eyewitness video shows people dancing before shots ring out, followed by screams.

Witness Kamvalethu Galada said she first thought the sound was fireworks and kept dancing until everyone dropped to the floor. "After we were laying 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," she said. "Bodies were laying around us, bodies laying on top of other people that are literally alive."

A police official said a "business jealousy might have been the issue," amid reports that people had been buying alcohol at cheaper places and then coming to the venue to drink. No arrests have been made in either case.

Violent crime is expected to be a major issue in municipal elections in November, with the African National Congress facing further erosion of support. Fear and anger over high rates of femicide have risen after the discovery of women's bodies near Johannesburg since July. Ramaphosa said earlier this year that organised crime had become the biggest threat to South Africa's democracy, and deployed the army to help police in some areas.

Crime expert Yusuf Abramjee said South Africa is flooded with illegal weapons, which is part of the problem. "Authorities need to look at the wider networks behind the violence," he said.