South Africa reels from spate of mass shootings that killed 38 people in a week

Johannesburg — A spate of mass shootings in three major South African cities killed nearly 40 people this week, with such incidents increasingly common in a country already known for its high crime rates.

On Saturday night, South African police said at least 10 people were killed at a shisanyama — a common kind of local restaurant selling barbecued meat — near Cape Town, while eleven others were injured.

The same night, near the commercial capital Johannesburg, 17 people were killed when a group of men with AK-47s burst into a township tavern where people were drinking.

The perpetrators "allegedly searched some patrons and took their cellphones before fleeing the scene in two unidentified motor vehicles. Two vehicles were also set alight during the incident," police said in a statement.

Police have not indicated a motive for either of the latest attacks.