South Africa mass shootings kill at least 27 as illegal guns fuel mass violence, journalist says

By Al Jazeera English

Community Score: 50% | 18.1K views | 2w

0 community ratings: null thumbs up, null thumbs down

Two separate mass shootings in South Africa have killed at least 27 people, with 17 killed at a tavern southwest of Johannesburg and 10 killed at an entertainment venue near Cape Town. Police are searching for the gunmen, and no arrests have been reported and the motives remain unclear. In an interview with Al Jazeera, journalist Velani Ludidi says, the two attacks are not believed to be linked. He attributed the wider rise in mass shootings to the proliferation of illegal firearms and entrenched organised crime, while warning that corruption and weak crime intelligence are hampering efforts to tackle the problem. Ludidi said gangs are also exploiting poverty and inequality to recruit young people, including children, into criminal networks. He argued that South Africa needs stronger investigations, better cooperation between police and communities, and improved crime intelligence to prevent further attacks. The shootings come days after another mass shooting near Durban killed 11 peo

Tags: Doras Tavern, Doras Tavern Wedela, Doras Tavern shooting, Doras Tavern shooting South Africa, Johannesburg tavern shooting, Lwandle shooting, South Africa crime crisis, South Africa mass shootings, South Africa shootings, South African police, Wedela shooting, al Jazeera, al Jazeera English, al Jazeera live tv news English, aljazeera live, gang violence South Africa, gun violence South Africa, illegal firearms South Africa, organised crime South Africa