Gunmen kill 11 at South Africa house party
AM730 · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago1 MIN
Summary
A mass shooting near Durban in eastern South Africa left 11 people dead after three gunmen entered a house party and opened fire. Police said three other people were wounded, while investigators are pursuing the suspects and examining whether the attack was linked to rival criminal groups.
Key Points
- The shooting happened on the night of September 22 in KwaMakhutha township, about 30 kilometres south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province, police said.
- Police said three armed men entered a home where people had gathered for a party and suddenly opened fire on the crowd inside.
- Ten victims died at the scene, including a woman believed to be pregnant, and another injured victim later died in hospital, raising the toll to 11.
- Three other people were injured, though police had not released details of their conditions at the time of the report.
- Police said some victims had previously drawn law-enforcement attention over alleged criminal activity, and investigators have not ruled out conflict between rival criminal groups.
Why It Matters
Police have launched a manhunt and deployed special officers for a 72-hour operation, while KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli appealed for public information to help catch the three suspects. The case also adds to concern over South Africa's violent crime problem, with police statistics cited in the report showing about 5,427 murders every three months, or nearly 60 killings a day.