Two separate mass shootings in South Africa kill 27 people

South Africa has been hit by two mass shootings within hours of each other, leaving 27 people dead in the latest outbreak of gun violence in the country.

On Saturday evening, eight gunmen stormed a bar near Johannesburg, killing 17 people and wounding 15 others. The attackers opened fire on customers outside the venue before continuing the assault inside, then set two vehicles alight before escaping.

Police said the victims included thirteen men and four women. Gauteng Police Commissioner Lt Gen Tommy Mthombeni said that while most of those affected were South African, some victims came from Ethiopia and Lesotho.

In a separate incident in the early hours of Sunday, ten people were killed and eleven injured outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town.

Authorities have not confirmed a clear motive for either attack. South Africa continues to record one of the highest murder rates in the world and has long struggled to curb gang-related gun violence.