At least 14 people have been killed in a shootout at a bar in Soweto. The act of violence in the Johannesburg suburb happened on Sunday night, said Elias Mawela from the South African police.
The officers found twelve bodies at the crime scene, and two other people later succumbed to their injuries. Nine people are therefore in clinics. The local police chief, Elias Mawela, said the unidentified gunmen opened fire on the guests indiscriminately.
At least four people were killed in another shootout at a tavern in Pietermartizburg in the KwaZulu-Natal province, reports the South African news portal News24. Eight others are in critical condition.
Police spokesman Lt. Col. Nqobile Gwala told News24 that the four were killed around 8:30pm on Saturday.
Murders and other violent crimes have increased sharply in South Africa this year, South Africa’s Police Minister Bheki Cele said in early June. According to police statistics, 6,083 people were killed between January and March – a good 22 percent more than in the same period last year.
