Death toll from two South African shootings rises to 28
The confirmed combined toll from two separate South African mass shootings rose to 28 on Monday, 28 September, after a wounded person from the Wedela tavern attack died in hospital. Police now count 18 deaths in Wedela, southwest of Johannesburg. Ten people died in a separate attack at a venue in Lwandle near Cape Town. The earlier combined count was 27.
What matters
One person died after the initial report, bringing the combined toll to 28. Police are treating the attacks as separate investigations and have not established a motive or connection between them.
Investigators have examined possible connections to illegal mining and business rivalries, but those are lines of inquiry rather than established motives. Authorities have not announced that the attacks were linked to each other. The distinction matters while police seek suspects and examine what happened at each location.
The killings have renewed attention to gun violence in South Africa, following another deadly shooting earlier in the week. Police have not announced that the two weekend attacks were linked. The reported toll and details of the investigations may change as officials release further findings.
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