By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Multiple people have been killed and several wounded in two separate mass shootings at the entertainment venues in Carletonville, west of Johannesburg, Gauteng, and in Lwandle, in the Western Cape respectively.
In Carletonville, 13 males and 4 females were shot by men armed with AK-47s and pistols.
SA Police Services (SAPS) spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili says eight heavily armed men stormed into a tavern in the mining township of Wedela with AK-47 rifles and pistols.
Muridili says they opened fire on patrons outside and inside the venue, before robbing several victims of their cellphones.
They also set two vehicles alight and fled the scene in two getaway cars, added Muridili.
Emergency services declared 13 men and four women dead at the scene. Another 15 victims were rushed to hospital with gunshot wounds.
As investigations continue, no arrests have yet been made, while 17 counts of murder, 15 counts of attempted murder and two counts of malicious damage to property have been opened.
Meanwhile ten people have been shot and killed in Lwandle, in the Western Cape, after gunmen opened fire at an entertainment venue in the early hours of Sunday morning.
SAPS said the attackers entered the venue and opened fire on patrons.
Five people were killed at the scene, while five others later died from their injuries after being taken to medical facilities.
The latest incidents came just days after at least 11 people were gunned down at a home in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
That shooting occurred in KwaMakhutha, a township, south of Durban.
South Africa has been grappling with violent crime and has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with around 60 people dying violently each day.