South Africa police hunt gunmen after two shootings kill at least 27
Police said separate shootings in Wedela and Lwandle killed at least 27 people and wounded 26, with searches for the attackers continuing on 27 September 2026.
In short
- Police said separate shootings in Wedela and Lwandle killed at least 27 people and wounded 26, with searches for the attackers continuing on 27 September 2026.
South African police were searching for gunmen on 27 September 2026 after two separate shootings near Johannesburg and Cape Town killed at least 27 people and wounded 26 others, according to police accounts reported by The Guardian.
In Wedela, south-west of Johannesburg, 17 people were killed and at least 15 wounded when attackers opened fire at a tavern on the night of 26 September. Gauteng police said they were seeking eight suspects. Police alleged that the attackers shot at customers outside and inside the venue before fleeing in two vehicles.
A separate attack at a grilled-meat entertainment venue in Lwandle, near Cape Town, killed 10 people and wounded 11. Western Cape police said five victims died at the scene and five others died after being taken for treatment. Detectives specialising in serious violent crime were assigned to the investigation.
Police reported no arrests in either case in the accounts available on 27 September. The reported statements did not establish a connection between the attacks or identify a motive.
The two investigations follow another mass shooting near Durban earlier in the week. Victims’ identities in the Lwandle case were being withheld while relatives were notified.
