Seventeen people, including 15 women, were killed in two mass shootings that occurred in close proximity in a rural town in South Africa, police confirmed on Saturday. A search is underway for the suspects, according to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe. Among the victims were 15 women and two men, with another individual in critical condition in hospital.
The shootings took place on Friday night in the town of Lusikisiki, located in Eastern Cape province, southeastern South Africa. Video footage released by police shows the shootings occurred at two houses in the same neighbourhood, consisting of rural homesteads on the town’s outskirts.
Police reported that 12 women and one man were killed in one house, while three women and one man were killed in the other. “A manhunt has been launched to apprehend those responsible for these heinous killings,” said Mathe. Police have yet to provide information on a possible motive.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and mass shootings have become increasingly frequent in recent years, often targeting people in their homes.
In April last year, ten members of the same family—seven of them women, including a 13-year-old boy—were killed in a mass shooting at their home in the neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal province.
South Africa’s homicide rate stands at around 45 per 100,000 people, compared to approximately 6.3 per 100,000 in the United States. In most European countries, the rate is roughly 1 per 100,000. The country recorded over 27,000 homicides in the 12 months between 1 March 2023 and 28 February 2024, equating to more than 70 killings each day in a population of 62 million.
While South Africa’s firearm laws are relatively strict, authorities frequently highlight the widespread circulation of illegal, unregistered guns as a significant issue.
(With Inputs from Reuters)
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