• Forensic officers and the army at the scene of a mass shooting at a bar in Wedela township, 27 September, 2026 AP Photo

The death toll from a mass shooting at a South African tavern has risen to 18 after one person died in hospital, police said on Monday, announcing at least two of the dead were Lesotho nationals.

The shooting west of Johannesburg late on Saturday was part of a bloody weekend in the crime-weary country, with 10 people killed in another mass shooting in Cape Town on Sunday.

Eight gunmen armed with assault rifles stormed the bar in the semi-rural township of Wedela, around 80 kilometres from central Johannesburg, and killed13 men and four women, police said.

“One more victim has died in hospital, bringing the total number of deceased to 18,” they said.

“Only four of the deceased have been identified, two South Africans and two Lesotho nationals.”

The motive for the attack was not clear but the area is reportedly gripped by rivalry between gangs involved in illicit mining for gold.

Thousands of unregistered miners operate in abandoned mining shafts in South Africa, many coming from across southern Africa, including the kingdom of Lesotho which is within South Africa.

Thirteen people including three army officers were killed on Friday when a military plane crashed in Democratic ‌Republic of Congo, an official said.

Reuters reported that the plane was travelling to the capital, Kinshasa, from the southwestern city of Kikwit when it experienced a technical problem and attempted ⁠to land in Kenge, in Kwango province, said Remy Saki Bokinda, the Kwango vice governor.

“With no landing strip available in Kenge, the plane crashed into a residential plot,” he said.

The passengers included General Likulia Bakumi, the army’s auditor general, as well as a major, ‌a ⁠captain and other military personnel and civilians, Bokinda said.

“All those on board died; 12 were burned beyond recognition, while the pilot’s lifeless body was ⁠found outside the aircraft,” he said.

Congo’s aviation accident investigation authority is launching a probe of the crash, ⁠a government statement said.

Congo’s army suffered significant setbacks last year at the hands of ⁠Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebels who seized large swathes of the east.

• UN General Assembly

Some 80 countries at the ongoing 81st United Nations General Assembly on Thursday demanded the urgent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz ‌and condemned Iran and its Houthi allies for attacks in the region and disruption to international trade and energy security.

“Iran’s actions in the Strait ⁠of Hormuz continue to threaten international security and navigational rights and freedoms,” said a joint statement read out by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani at the United Nations.

“We also strongly condemn the Houthis’ decision to resume ‌conflict ⁠in Yemen, their continuous strikes on Saudi Arabia, and their reckless attacks in the Red Sea,” the statement said.

The statement’s backers ⁠included Gulf Arab states and major Western powers.

It added that the Houthis’ advance towards Bab ⁠el-Mandeb Strait would also only heighten risks to international shipping, maritime security ⁠and global trade.

Both Iran and the Houthis frame their actions as defensive.

Credit: REUTERS