Two separate mass shootings near South Africa's biggest cities killed at least 27 people over the weekend, authorities said, in an eruption of gun violence that has left the country reeling.

The first attack struck late Saturday night in Wedela, a township southwest of Johannesburg. Around 9:30 p.m., eight suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire on patrons outside a bar before moving inside and continuing to shoot, according to France 24 and the Associated Press. Seventeen people were killed in the attack.

Hours later, in the early hours of Sunday, a second shooting hit a shisanyama — an outdoor barbecue venue popular in South African townships — near Cape Town. Ten people were killed and 11 wounded, according to NBC News.

No arrests, and a pattern of violence

No arrests had been made in either shooting as of Sunday. Gauteng Police Commissioner Tommy Mthombeni told reporters the Wedela attack may be tied to a "turf war" over illegal mining in the area, or retaliation for a shooting at the same bar roughly a month earlier.

The weekend's violence came just five days after a separate mass shooting in a township near Durban killed at least 11 people, part of what NPR reported has now become a week in which mass shootings have killed 38 people nationwide. South Africa has one of the world's highest murder rates, and illegal firearms tied to organized crime and gang rivalries have repeatedly fueled bar and tavern shootings in townships around Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

Police have deployed additional units to Wedela and the affected Cape Town neighborhood, and forensic teams were still processing both scenes Sunday. Officials have not said whether the two attacks are believed to be connected.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has faced sustained pressure over gun violence and organized crime tied to illegal mining operations, known locally as "zama zama" networks, which have been linked to a string of shootings in mining regions over the past two years.