A person wounded when gunmen opened fire on a South African tavern has died in hospital, police confirmed on Monday, raising the death toll from two weekend mass shootings to 28.
The wave of violence has shaken the country, which records one of the world’s highest murder rates with about 60 people killed daily, according to police statistics.
The deadliest attack took place west of Johannesburg in an area affected by illegal mining, an activity officials say organised syndicates and rival gangs control.
Thirteen men and four women died late on Saturday when gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed a packed bar in the semi-rural township of Wedela, around 80 km from central Johannesburg.
“One more victim has died in hospital, bringing the total number of deceased to 18,” police said on Monday.
“Only four of the deceased have been identified, two South Africans and two Lesotho nationals.”
Gang rivalry linked to illegal gold mining
The tavern owner told local journalists at the scene that gang rivalry over illegal mining operations grips the area. Bloodied clothes lay scattered on the ground.
“Even if they finish investigating, I am scared to continue selling again. I am too scared,” she said, hiding her identity.
Thousands of unregistered miners operate in abandoned mining shafts around the country, particularly in the gold fields surrounding Johannesburg. They come from across southern Africa, including the kingdom of Lesotho, which sits within South Africa’s borders.
Ten killed in Cape Town township attack
In a separate mass shooting, gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 11 more at an eating and drinking venue in a township outside Cape Town early on Sunday.
Video clips shared on social media show revellers dancing and drinking before a burst of gunfire rings out, sending people scrambling for cover.
Police said it remains unclear what prompted the attack in Lwandle, but one official suggested business rivalry may be a motive.
Multiple shootings across Cape Town
Police found two men dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside a car in the sprawling Khayelitsha township on Saturday, and a third next to the vehicle. A fourth man died on the way to hospital.
Two more people were shot and killed in another informal settlement in the city, a hotspot for extortion where gangs demand protection fees from small businesses.
South Africa faces a wave of mass killings
The country is awash with legal and illegal firearms and shootings are common, often linked to organised crime, illegal mining, gang violence and extortion, experts say.
There have been at least 41 mass killings this year at the cost of 196 lives, said Julian Rademeyer, an adviser for the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime.
Another mass attack took place on Tuesday last week when 11 people, including a pregnant woman, were killed after gunmen stormed a homestead in a township in the eastern port city of Durban. Police have not announced any arrests.
In March, President Cyril Ramaphosa deployed the army to crime-plagued areas around Johannesburg and Cape Town after describing organised crime as the “most immediate threat” to the country’s democracy and economic development.
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The weekend bloodshed further rattled South Africans already alarmed by the discovery of 11 women’s bodies over 10 weeks in Johannesburg’s Ekurhuleni area. The most recent body was found on Sunday.
Most of the victims were in their 20s and 30s, with some found stripped of their clothes and showing signs of sexual assault, police said.
In the same area, a 23-year-old woman was shot and killed early on Monday during an alleged robbery while she was on the way to work, police said.
“Preliminary investigations have not established any link between this incident and the recent cases involving the bodies of women found in Ekurhuleni,” they said in a statement.
ALSO READ: Mass shootings leave over 40 dead across South Africa
