Six killed in KZN township shooting

Six people were killed in what is being described as an ambush on Wednesday night.

Brigadier Jay Naicker confirmed to The Citizen that five of the victims were from the same family.

Nine members of a family were at their homestead in the Mpumalanga area near Hammarsdale, just outside Durban when a series of gunshots were heard from the door and window. Five members and a neighbour were subsequently fatally wounded, Naicker said.

A three-year-old child was also rushed to a nearby hospital, after sustaining a gunshot wound to the leg.

The remaining three members of the family were not wounded.

Naicker says a number of shotgun and 9mm rounds were found at the crime scene, and that Mpumalanga police are still conducting investigations to establish the possible motive behind the killings.

KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula, condemned the brutal killing of last night’s killings.

“It is quite disturbing to hear that there are heartless people out there who can kill others in such a brutal matter. There can be no justification for killing anyone in such a callous manner. I have tasked detectives at our Provincial Organized Crime Unit led by Brigadier Mbele to investigate this matter,” he said.

Police said they are following all possible leads that will assist in the speedy arrest of the suspects.

Anyone with information on the suspects involved is encouraged to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or make use of the MySAPS App that can be loaded on any iPhone or Android device, he added.

Updates to follow as more information is made available.

(Additional reporting by Makhosandile Zulu)

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.