South Africa Mass Shootings Kill 27 in One Night; Week Toll Reaches 38
South Africa · Society
Latest — September 28, 2026
— Two mass shootings hours apart killed 27 people on Saturday night and early Sunday: 17 at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, and 10 at a venue in Lwandle, near Cape Town. At least 26 more were wounded.
— The attacks follow a shooting at a house party in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, on Tuesday, September 23, that killed 11 people, including a pregnant woman. The week’s toll is 38 dead.
— Police say no arrests have been made in any of the three cases and the motives are unknown. Investigators are searching for multiple gunmen.
Key Facts
- What happened — Eight gunmen with assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in Wedela at about 9:30 p.m. local time (SAST) on Saturday, killing 17. Around 1 a.m. Sunday, gunmen killed 10 people in Lwandle, near Cape Town.
- The pattern — South Africa has recorded at least 196 deaths in mass shootings since January 2026, according to a running count by the Daily Maverick newspaper. The country of about 62 million records roughly 60 murders a day.
- What it means for foreign residents — All three attacks took place in townships, away from the areas where most expats live and work. Police say the violence is usually tied to gangs and organized crime, not random targets.
Two mass shootings in one night have left 27 people dead in South Africa, in a week that has pushed the country’s gun violence to a level that is drawing attention even in a nation accustomed to high crime.
The first attack came on Saturday, September 26, at about 9:30 p.m. South African Standard Time. Eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols stormed a bar in Wedela, a township southwest of Johannesburg. They shot patrons outside, then continued inside. Seventeen people were killed — 13 men and four women — and at least 15 were wounded. Police said the attackers searched some patrons, took their mobile phones, set two vehicles alight and fled in two unidentified cars.
Hours later, around 1 a.m. on Sunday, gunmen killed 10 people at a venue in Lwandle, a township near Cape Town. Five victims died at the scene and five more on the way to hospital. Eleven people were wounded. Police said they were searching for multiple suspects.
A week of three attacks
The two shootings followed an attack on Tuesday, September 23, in KwaMakhutha, south of the coastal city of Durban. Three gunmen fired on a house party there, killing 11 people, including a pregnant woman. Police said several people at the house were known to authorities as part of criminal investigations. The three attacks together killed 38 people in five days.
The Guardian reported that police suspect the Johannesburg-area attack may be linked to a turf war between illegal gold miners, known locally as zama-zamas. Police statements so far list the motive in both weekend attacks as unknown, and no suspect has been arrested in any of the three cases.
The longer picture
Mass shootings are not new in South Africa, but they are becoming more frequent. The Daily Maverick counts at least 196 people killed in such attacks since January 2026. In June, 12 people died when gunmen stormed an informal settlement in Johannesburg, an attack blamed on rivalry between zama-zama groups.
The state has answered past waves of violence with the army. Soldiers moved into Johannesburg crime hotspots in March 2026 to support police. Earlier deployments included the Cape Flats in 2019, the unrest after former president Jacob Zuma’s jailing in 2021, and a wave of truck burnings in 2023. President Cyril Ramaphosa has called crime one of the biggest threats facing the country. Police investigations into all three of this week’s attacks are under way.
What it means for expats and visitors
The three attacks happened in Wedela, Lwandle and KwaMakhutha — townships that lie outside the neighborhoods where most foreign residents live, work and socialize. Police and criminologists describe this kind of violence in South Africa as mostly targeted: tied to gangs, illegal mining networks and disputes between informal businesses, rather than directed at strangers or foreigners.
Practical guidance stays the same as before these events: follow the advice of local authorities, use registered transport at night, and stay informed through official channels. No foreign embassy had changed its travel guidance for South Africa at the time of publication.
What We Could Not Confirm
- The motive for either weekend attack. Police say both are unknown; the reported gold-mining link is a suspicion, not a finding.
- Whether the three attacks of the past week are connected to each other.
- Whether the government plans a new army deployment or other emergency measures in response.
FAQ
What happened in South Africa on September 26 and 27, 2026?
Gunmen killed 17 people at a bar in Wedela township near Johannesburg on Saturday night, and 10 more at a venue in Lwandle near Cape Town around 1 a.m. Sunday. At least 26 people were wounded.
How many people have died in the recent attacks?
Including a house-party shooting near Durban on September 23 that killed 11, the week’s toll is 38 dead. The Daily Maverick counts at least 196 mass-shooting deaths in South Africa since January 2026.
Have police made any arrests?
No. Police say no suspects have been arrested in any of the three attacks and that the motives are unknown. Multiple gunmen are being sought.
Are tourists and expats at risk?
The attacks took place in townships, not in areas where most visitors and foreign residents spend time. South African police describe such shootings as mostly linked to gangs and organized crime. No embassy had changed its travel guidance at publication time.
Sources: NPR on the week’s three attacks, BBC on the two weekend shootings, The Guardian on the investigation, CBS News with police details, Daily Maverick’s 2026 mass-killings count.
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