28 Killed in 2 Mass Shootings Hours Apart in South Africa
Last update: September 28, 2026
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A weekend of bloodshed in South Africa, 28 people shot dead in two separate attacks just hours apart.
Footage and reports via cbinews.tv show the scale of the violence that has left communities in Johannesburg and Cape Town in shock.
On Saturday, September 26 evening, eight gunmen stormed a bar close to Johannesburg, opening fire on customers outside before moving inside and torching two vehicles as they fled. 18 people were killed and 14 injured. Police said only four victims have been identified so far.
Just hours later in the early hours of Sunday, September 27, another shooting outside an entertainment venue in a township near Cape Town left 10 dead and 11 injured. Five died at the scene and five more in hospital.
South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with about 60 murders recorded every day in a country of 62 million. Illegal weapons are rife and mass shootings are increasingly linked to turf wars over drug trafficking and illegal mining.
Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni told cbinews.tv people from Ethiopia and Lesotho were among those caught up in the Johannesburg attack, but the vast majority were South African.
He said robbery may be a motive as personal belongings were taken, but police cannot rule out turf wars between illegal mining groups. Deputy provincial commissioner Major General Fred Kekana said it may have been retaliation for an incident last month when one person was killed and another wounded.
Illegal mining in abandoned shafts, known locally as zama zama mining, is a persistent problem. Authorities say miners are often undocumented migrants recruited by organised crime gangs. Competition over shafts and dump sites frequently turns deadly.
The shootings came just days after 11 people were killed in a house attack in KwaMakhutha township near Durban. In February President Cyril Ramaphosa called organised crime the most immediate threat to democracy and development.
Earlier this year the military was deployed alongside police in murder hotspots. Police say they have clear pictures and in some cases names for the Johannesburg suspects. Meanwhile in Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg a tenth womans body was found on Saturday, with police unable to rule out a serial killer.
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