Death toll in South Africa bar shooting rises to 18

The death toll in a mass shooting in a South African tavern has risen to 18 after one person died in hospital, police said Monday, announcing at least two of the dead were Lesotho nationals.

The shooting west of Johannesburg late Saturday was part of a bloody weekend in the crime-weary country, with 10 people killed in another mass shooting in Cape Town on Sunday.

Eight gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed the bar in the semi-rural township of Wedela, around 80 kilometres (50 miles) from central Johannesburg, killing 13 men and four women, police said.

“One more victim has died in hospital, bringing the total number of deceased to 18,” they said Monday.

“Only four of the deceased have been identified, two South Africans and two Lesotho nationals.”

The motive for the attack was not clear but the area is reportedly gripped by rivalry between gangs involved in illicit mining for gold.

Thousands of unregistered miners operate in abandoned mining shafts in South Africa, many coming from across southern Africa, including the kingdom of Lesotho which is embedded within South Africa.

The sector has been linked to organised crime, assassinations and other illegal activities.

In a separate shooting at the weekend, gunmen killed 10 people and wounded 11 more at an entertainment venue in a township outside Cape Town early on Sunday.

South Africa is awash with legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are common, often fuelled by gang rivalry, extortion and competition between informal businesses.

The country of around 62 million people has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with about 60 people killed each day.

AFP