ع
Three assailants burst into a house in the Ziko area of KwaMakhutha township where 13 men and a woman believed to be pregnant had gathered for a party shortly before 11 p.m. on Tuesday, according to a statement from KwaZulu-Natal police. Ten victims died at the scene while four others were rushed to hospital, where one succumbed to gunshot wounds, police said in the update issued the following day. The attackers fled after setting fire to a vehicle belonging to one of the victims, footage from the scene broadcast by eNCA showed. No arrests have been made as officers from the KwaMakhutha station and the eThekwini District Tracing Team continue their search.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said preliminary investigations indicated that some of the victims were known to crime intelligence units in connection with illegal activities, though he declined to provide further details to protect ongoing probes. Although the motive has not been confirmed, Netshiunda added that a feud between rival groupings could not be ruled out at this stage. The pregnant woman was among those killed at the party, which police described as involving individuals some of whom had prior links to criminal investigations.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli is scheduled to visit the scene on Wednesday to assess the situation and meet with law enforcement, community leaders and affected families, his spokesperson Lindelani Mbatha told local media. Ntuli described the killings as having left residents in profound shock and grief, according to statements relayed through provincial channels. Two people survived the attack after the gunmen entered the property and opened fire, the premier’s office confirmed in early briefings.
South African Police Service figures show the country continues to record an average of more than 60 murders per day, placing it among nations with the highest homicide rates globally. This latest incident adds to a pattern of mass shootings that have shaken communities in recent years, including an attack in Johannesburg in June that claimed 12 lives in a single event, the Associated Press reported. Police have linked some of these outbreaks to gang rivalries or disputes in areas with high levels of criminal activity.
A resident who spoke to eNCA at the scene said he had grown up with several of the victims, all in their mid-30s, and expressed disbelief at the scale of the violence in what had been considered a relatively safe neighborhood. “It’s shocking and sad. These are guys I grew up with. I can’t believe it. It’s like a movie,” the man told the broadcaster. He added that he had lived in the area all his life and had never witnessed anything comparable, as families of the deceased gathered in distress near the burnt-out vehicle and the affected house.
Officers have escalated the investigation to provincial units given the seriousness of the crime, according to updates from the South African Police Service. The probe focuses on identifying the three suspects and establishing any connections to the victims’ known associations, Netshiunda stated. Community members have been urged to provide any information that could assist in locating those responsible for the attack.
