Horrors in South Africa. In Soweto and Pietermaritzburg, 18 people were shot dead and 17 others injured by several attackers in two bars on Sunday evening. The procedure was similar in both cases, the exact background is still unclear. However, the police initially declined to confirm a link between the crimes.
Police in Soweto were called to the scene around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, a police officer said. Officials found 12 bodies with gunshot wounds. Of the 11 people taken to hospital, two later succumbed to their injuries. It was initially unclear who carried out the attack. “They arrived and shot at people who were having fun,” the officer said.
Initially, no one was arrested. Police were still on the scene Sunday morning. Hundreds of people gathered behind the police barrier, reporters reported. Crying relatives attempted to reach the bar in Johannesburg’s largest township, but were prevented by police.
Four killed in Pietermaritzburg attack
Even before the act in Soweto, an attack had taken place on a bar in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday evening around 8.30 pm. Four people were killed and eight others were injured, the local police spokesman said on Sunday.
The police spokesman said that when a group of people had a drink together in a bar, a car was parked in front of it. “Two men jumped out of the car, entered the bar and opened fire at random on the guests.” The fatalities are believed to be between the ages of 30 and 34.
Violent crime is on the rise
Murders and other violent crimes have risen sharply in South Africa this year, South African Police Minister Bheki Cele said in early June. According to police statistics, 6,083 people died between January and March alone, more than 22 percent more than in the same period last year.
Source: Krone
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