South African police have launched multi-region manhunts after a series of mass shootings left 38 people dead across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban over the past week.
The deadliest attack occurred late Saturday in Wedela township near Johannesburg, where eight suspects armed with pistols and AK-47 rifles opened fire at a local tavern.
Eighteen patrons were killed and 15 wounded, according to authorities. Four of the deceased have been identified as two South African citizens and two nationals of Lesotho.
Police said the armed group robbed victims before escaping.
The perpetrators allegedly searched some patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing in two unidentified vehicles, while two other vehicles were set ablaze during the assault.
Investigators are analyzing images of the suspects to trace their location.
Law enforcement officials revealed that one primary line of inquiry points to an ongoing turf war among heavily armed criminal networks involved in the illegal gold-mining trade operating in the area.
In a separate attack early Sunday, gunmen stormed an entertainment venue in Lwandle township near Cape Town, killing 10 people.
Five victims died at the scene, while five others succumbed to their injuries after being transported to a hospital.
Authorities are currently investigating the underlying motives behind the Lwandle massacre.
Lieutenant General Sizkhele William Dyantyi said, "It seems that there's business rivalry, business jealousy that might have been there the issue because of the people are buying alcohol maybe at cheaper places and they come and drink in this place."
Detectives in the Western Cape are also probing a third weekend incident in Khayelitsha, where four men were fatally shot on Saturday evening.
Officers discovered three victims deceased at the scene—two inside a vehicle and one adjacent to it—while a fourth victim died shortly after arriving at a nearby medical facility.
The weekend violence follows an earlier mass shooting on Tuesday in Durban, where unidentified assailants opened fire on a house party, killing 11 people, including a pregnant woman.
South African police data indicates the country currently averages roughly 60 homicides per day as authorities face growing pressure to curb gang violence and illegal firearms ahead of local elections in November.
