JOHANNESBURG (AP) – A mass shooting at a tavern in the Johannesburg township of Soweto has killed 15 people and left others in critical condition, police say.
Police say they are investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on some of the patrons at the bar shortly after midnight on Sunday.
The injured were taken to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
The number of bullets found at the scene suggests a group of people opened fire on the bar, said Gauteng provincial police commissioner Major General Elias Mauela.
“Primary investigation shows that these people were having fun here, in a licensed tavern that was open during the correct hours,” Mawela told The Associated Press.
“Suddenly they heard some shots, when people tried to run out of the tavern.  We don’t have the full details right now of what the motive is and why they targeted these people,” he said.
“You can see that a high caliber firearm was used and it was firing randomly.  You can see all these people were struggling to get out of the tavern,” Mawela told The Associated Press.
The area where the shootings took place was very dark, making it more difficult to find people who could identify the suspects, he said.
Rifles and a 9mm pistol were used in the attack, national police spokeswoman Colonel Dimakatso Sello said.
In another incident, four people were shot dead by unknown gunmen at a tavern in Sweetwaters township in the coastal town of Pietermaritzburg on Saturday night.
According to the police, two men entered the tavern and opened fire at random on the patrons, killing two people who were at the scene, while two others were confirmed dead at the hospital.  Police said 8 other people are being treated at a hospital.  The dead were aged between 30 and 45 and police are investigating charges of murder and attempted murder, police said.
“The team will be working around the clock to identify and bring to book those responsible for this shooting,” KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Major General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi said.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the shootings at two bars.
“As a nation, we cannot allow violent criminals to terrorize us in this way, regardless of where such incidents may occur,” Ramaphosa said in a statement.
“As a government, citizens and civil society structures, we all need to work together even more closely to improve social and economic conditions in communities, reduce violent crime and eradicate the illegal trade in firearms,” ​​he said.
The bar shooting comes two weeks after 21 teenagers were found dead in a pub in the East London town.  The cause of those deaths has not yet been released by authorities, but the teenagers were not shot or crushed in a riot, officials said.