(ANSA) — ROME, JULY 10 — The death toll in two shootings that took place around midnight last night in South Africa has risen to 19. In Soweto, near Johannesburg, 15 young men, including two women, were killed by a group of gunmen who fired large caliber weapons into the “fun-loving” crowd in a bar. The victims were between 19 and 35 years old. In Pietermaritzburg (eastern Zulu region) four people were killed by men who opened fire indiscriminately. Investigators are also focusing on similar tactics, although shootings are commonplace in South Africa, one of the most violent countries in the world where gangs and alcoholism are rampant.
“We cannot allow violent criminals to terrorize us in this way,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement. These violent deaths are “unacceptable and worrying,” he added, offering his condolences to the families.
In Soweto, southwest of the South African capital, the police were called shortly after midnight. “When we arrived we found 12 dead with gunshot wounds,” Nonhlanhla Kubheka, a local police officer, told AFP. A dozen of the injured were taken to hospital and three died shortly after arriving, he said. The victims are young, between 19 and 35 years old. The exact number of attackers is not yet known. But “they went in and shot people who were having a good time,” Kubheka said. “According to witnesses, they fired indiscriminately” before driving away in a white van, regional police chief Elias Mawela said. (HAND).
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