Police in South Africa say 10 killed in 2 separate shootings

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG(AA) - Ten people were killed after gunmen stormed two rural towns in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, police said Thursday.

The first shooting occurred around 8 p.m. local time Wednesday in Bityi township where gunmen stormed a homestead and killed three people.

Authorities said the second unrelated shooting, happened close to midnight when gunmen entered Qunu, a rural town, and opened fire on seven people.

The dead include four men and three women between the ages of 32 and 46, according to police.

Police spokesman Tembinkosi Kinana said the motives for the shootings are still under investigation and authorities are searching for the suspects in both shootings.

The shooting came barely three days after eight people were killed Sunday when two gunmen entered a home in the same province and randomly shot guests at a birthday party.

Mass shootings have become more frequent in South Africa, where 70 people were murdered on average every day from April to June 2022, according to national crime statistics.

In July, 14 people were killed at a bar in the township of Soweto near Johannesburg. Police said the attackers used high-caliber firearms and sprayed bullets randomly.

Several mass shootings were reported in South Africa in 2022.