At least 19 people died this morning in two shootings that occurred in different entertainment venues in South Africa, according to reports from the National Police, which has not given many details or established a connection between the two events, although they did point out that the way of operating of both groups was similar.
Fifteen of the deceased were in a tavern in the Soweto township, the largest and most historic suburb of Johannesburg, the country’s capital. Police were informed of the fire shortly after midnight, and by the time they arrived at the scene 12 people were dead from gunshot wounds, he told the police. AFP agency the commander of the local authorities, Nonhlanhla Kubheka.
The official added that another eleven wounded people were transported to Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, but three of them succumbed, bringing the death toll to 15 in this shooting on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
According to various reports obtained by the police, a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on patrons of the bar in Soweto, which operated with its licenses in order and was authorized to gather staff at that time of night. .
The South African Police ?? reported that 14 people died from a shooting at a bar in the town of #Sowetonear Johannesburg, in the east of #South Africa https://t.co/GYtQ9KgZZ8
– teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) July 10, 2022
“Suddenly they heard some shots, that’s when people tried to flee the tavern. At this time we do not have all the details about the motive, and why these people were attacked. It can be seen that a large caliber weapon was used and that it was fired at random. It looks like every one of those people was trying to get out of the tavern.” told AP Gauteng Provincial Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela.
In a separate incident, four other people were killed when two men entered a bar in the coastal town of Pietermaritzburg and opened fire at random. Two people died at the scene and two others died in the hospital to which they were transferred with injuries.
The number of deaths from the two attacks may increase in the coming hours, as at least a dozen people are hospitalized with reserved prognosis, some of them in critical condition.
The authorities reported that the fatalities were between 30 and 45 years old and that there is still no detail about the profile of the attackers.
According to an AFP report, the two incidents occur a year after the worst wave of violence the country has experienced since the end of apartheid and the arrival of democracy. In July 2021, several riots, with massive looting and the destruction of industrial plants, left more than 350 dead and thousands arrested, all in the midst of a wave of COVID-19.
