10 KZN family members shot dead in their home in dawn ambush

By Jolene Marriah-Maharaj | IOL News |

SOUTH AFRICA – Ten people, believed to be members of one family, were killed in a shooting incident on Thursday evening.

The incident took place at Unit 14, Imbali, Edendale, in Plessislaer, Pietermaritzburg.

Police have issued a statement, saying that the National Police Minister Bheki Cele is expected to visit the crime scene on Friday morning.

Provincial spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the crime scene was still active.

He confirmed that seven women and three men were fatally wounded during the shooting where unknown gunmen stormed a Pietermaritzburg homestead and ambushed the family.

Naicker added that the motive for the killing was not known.

He told Newsroom Afrika that there is a culture of where people are just killed indiscriminately and that is something that needs to be addressed.

“And it’s not just a policing matter, it’s something much bigger than that, where people are just killed, even children (are killed) randomly which is totally unacceptable.

“Police will be engaging with other stakeholders in terms of addressing this, as this is quite widespread in different communities in KZN.”

On Thursday, there were a number of shooting incidents in an around KwaZulu-Natal that left at least nine people dead.

Two men were killed in a taxi related shooting, while four men were gunned down in a suspected drug related hit.

And a teenager walking home from school was shot dead in the middle of the road.