The first attack happened on Saturday evening in Wedela, a mining town southwest of Johannesburg. Police said that at about 9:30 p.m. local time, eight armed men opened fire on patrons at a bar. They first shot at people outside and then continued the attack inside.
The assailants were reportedly carrying AK-47 rifles and pistols. Police said they searched some patrons and took their mobile phones before fleeing in two vehicles. Two other vehicles were set on fire during the attack. Seventeen people—13 men and four women—were pronounced dead at the scene. Fifteen people with gunshot wounds were taken to hospitals.
The second attack took place early Sunday at a grill restaurant in Lwandle, a township near Cape Town. Ten people were killed and 11 others injured.
Police have not established a motive for either attack. No arrests had been made at the time of publication, and the suspects were being sought. South Africa is among the countries with particularly high levels of violent crime.