Police hunt gunmen after 2 mass shootings in South Africa leave at least 27 dead

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Two separate mass shootings in South African townships within hours of each other have left at least 27 people dead, police said on Sunday.

South Africa has struggled with violent crime for years, but recent shooting incidents have shocked a country used to some of the highest homicide rates in the world.

In the first attack, eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar near Johannesburg late on Saturday. The South African Police Service said 17 people were killed at the small venue in Wedela township, southwest of South Africa's biggest city.

The attackers fired at patrons outside the bar before moving inside and continuing to shoot. The victims included 13 men and four women, with at least 15 other people injured, police said.

The gunmen searched some of the patrons and took their mobile phones before escaping in two vehicles. Two cars were set alight outside the bar during the shooting.

Around four hours later, 10 people were killed and 11 wounded in a shooting at a store linked to what police described as an entertainment venue in Lwandle township, near Cape Town, South Africa's second biggest city. Police said they were searching for multiple suspects, though they didn’t give an exact number.

No arrests have been made in either case. Police deployed specialized units to both townships and surrounding areas in the hunt for the gunmen.

The attacks came five days after another mass shooting in a township near Durban killed at least 11 people, including a pregnant woman, when multiple gunmen attacked a house party in KwaMakhutha township. Police have not reported any arrests.

Wedela resident Siyabonga Nondabula said there had been shootings in the area in the past involving illegal mining gangs, but none of them targeted so many people.

“Seventeen people and (maybe) even more have died, this has never happened here,” he said. "So I feel very sad and traumatized.”

A high rate of killings is a longstanding problem for Africa's most advanced economy, but the phenomenon of mass shootings is becoming more common, according to experts, with recent killings often being carried out by multiple gunmen.

Gun homicides mostly affect South Africa's poorest communities in townships and informal settlements made up of shacks and small homes on the edges of many big cities. Police have linked some of the recent shootings, including last week's house party killings near Durban, to criminal gangs.

Other recent mass shootings include one in June in a poor neighborhood of Johannesburg that killed 12 people, and two in the space of two weeks in December that left a total of 21 people dead.

South Africa's violent crime problem prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to deploy soldiers on the streets in March in a yearlong operation to combat crime in some of the country's worst-affected areas. The deployment included high-crime areas around Johannesburg and Cape Town, as well as other areas.

Announcing the deployment, Ramaphosa said crime by organized gangs was the biggest threat to South Africa's democracy and economic development. Some critics viewed the use of soldiers on the streets as an admission that police were failing.

Soldiers were deployed Sunday to the scene of the bar shooting in Wedela.

South Africa recorded 5,427 homicides in the three-months ending June 30, an average of nearly 60 a day, according to police statistics.

Shootings are the most common method of homicide in the country. Police and crime experts have long identified the large number of illegal firearms in circulation as a major problem.

Firearm ownership is legal in South Africa but heavily regulated and subject to strict competency requirements. Estimates from political parties and the country’s national gun owners association suggest that between 2 million and 6 million illegal firearms are in circulation. Those groups say the weapons are used in the vast majority of gun homicides.

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Forensic officers and the army members are seen at scene of a mass shooting on Saturday night when suspects opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo)

Community members stand at scene of a mass shooting on Saturday night when suspects opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo)

Odell Beckham Jr.’s return to the New York Giants, with the fan-favorite making the team at age 33 after being out of football for more than a year, lasted just three games with no catches.

The Giants released Beckham on Tuesday and signed return specialist Braxton Berrios and fellow receiver Charlie Jones to the active roster from the practice squad.

“Wishing him the best,” edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux said. “He’s a legend in the game, and he’s fought so hard to make his way back in this league. And he’s definitely going to be able to make a statement somewhere, so I’m not worried for him.”

Beckham was thrown at just once during his brief cameo back with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2014. Coach John Harbaugh last week hinted at a bigger role for Beckham, saying he “would be all for it Sunday” against Tennessee and calling it “the perfect time.”

Jameis Winston threw one deep pass intended for Beckham during the first quarter. Fans later chanted “OBJ! OBJ!” to no avail, as Beckham was only on the field for six plays of the ugly, 12-7 win and 20 of 191 (10.5%) this season.

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on Thursday said the Giants were trying to find situations to use Beckham. Nagy added that one injury would be enough to have Beckham playing all the time.

In retrospect, it appears one injury — Calvin Austin's torn right ACL during training camp — was enough to get Beckham on the 53-man roster after making strides in practice and impressing in preseason games. Had Austin been healthy, there is a good chance Beckham would not have made the final cuts.

Beckham did, despite most recently playing an NFL game on Dec. 8, 2024, with the Miami Dolphins. He missed all of last season when he served a six-game suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test.

Back with New York, Beckham was behind Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields on the depth chart.

“I love playing with ‘O,'” said tight end Isaiah Likely, who was also teammates with Beckham on the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. “Hopefully, wherever he ends up, he does what Odell does.”

Berrios had been promoted from the practice squad the maximum three times, hence the need to clear a roster spot for him. To make room for Jones, linebacker Brian Burns went on injured reserve with a torn ACL in his right knee.

Releasing Beckham is the latest move during a busy stretch, which included acquiring quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Minnesota in a trade Monday for a fifth-round pick. Likely said McCarthy was already at the team facility.

Harbaugh said Winston will start Sunday against Arizona, with either McCarthy or Jake Haener backing up. Haener was released with the intent of bringing him back on the practice squad and cleared waivers Tuesday to make that possible.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) screams as he runs onto the field before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)