South Africa shocked by bar shootings that killed 21 as police hunt suspects

People gather at the scene of an overnight bar shooting in Soweto, South Africa, Sunday July 10, 2022. A mass shooting at a tavern in Johannesburg’s Soweto township has killed 15 people and left others in critical condition, according to police. Police say they are investigating reports that a group of men arrived in a minibus taxi and opened fire on some of the patrons at the bar shortly after midnight Sunday. (AP Photo/Shiraaz Mohamed)

South Africa is reeling in shock from a spate of weekend shootings in which armed men burst into three bars and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 21 people.

Regional and ethnic rivalries, an organised extortion ring, competition between bar owners and political enmities are all possible motivations for the shootings, say analysts.