Separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two largest cities on Saturday night and Sunday morning killed 27 people, bringing the week’s total death toll from three separate incidents to 38. The attacks occurred in townships near Johannesburg and Cape Town, following an attack near Durban earlier in the week.
The recent violence follows a trend of increasing mass shootings in South Africa, which recorded 5,427 homicides between April and June, averaging nearly 60 per day. In March, President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed the South African National Defence Force to support police in high-crime areas, describing organized crime as a threat to the nation’s democracy and economic stability.
Police reported that eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols attacked a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26. The gunmen shot at patrons outside before entering the building, killing 13 men and four women and wounding 15 others. In the early hours of Sunday, September 27, multiple suspects opened fire at a venue in Lwandle township near Cape Town, killing 10 people and wounding 11 others. Five victims died at the scene, while five others died at the hospital.
The military has been present in some neighborhoods since soldiers were deployed in March to violence hotspots to support police efforts. This deployment is scheduled to last one year. While President Trump has focused on the murders of white farmers, official South African statistics indicate that the vast majority of victims are poor Black citizens, and women face specific risks. A tenth woman’s body was discovered in Johannesburg on Saturday, September 26, amid ongoing protests against femicide.
The political landscape is also affected, as South Africans are scheduled to vote in local elections in November. Experts suggest that these events involve multiple gunmen and are often linked to organized gang rivalries or illegal gold mining activities. As of September 27, 2026, no arrests have been made in the Johannesburg or Cape Town shootings, and police have not identified a specific motive for the latest attacks. Investigations into the Durban shooting, which killed 11 people on Tuesday, September 22, are also ongoing.