KZN Premier Thami Ntuli has condemned the KwaMakhutha mass shooting that left 11 people dead and four injured on September 22.

Also read: Amanzimtoti shooting leaves woman dead

According to neighbours, the incident was linked to drug-selling and took place in the Memela homestead just before 23:00 while the victims were enjoying a braai.

One of the deceased was a heavily pregnant woman.

A neighbour who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals told Ntuli in front of the media that he heard the gunshots. He said the shooting is possibly linked to a dispute over drug dealing territory.
According to him, the home’s owner, who was known to be openly selling drugs, was among the deceased.

“He didn’t spend much time here, but a lady who conducted business on his behalf was visited by an individual on September 19 who instructed her to look for another area to peddle the drugs as eZiko was his territory. That individual said since he had been released from prison, he will be resuming drug trade in the area,” said the neighbour.

That information was apparently relayed to the homeowner, who then convened his friends and informed them of the threats over a braai. It was while the victims were indoors drinking that at least three men stormed in and shot at the group randomly with assault rifles. The perpetrators also torched a VW Polo belonging to one of the victims that was parked on the road.

Also read: KZN Premier visits KwaMakhutha following mass shooting

After hearing the information, Ntuli relayed his condolences and promised that all available resources would be used to bring the perpetrators to book and bring closure to the affected families.

“Members of the community have confirmed that many incidents relating to drug disputes have taken place in the area. There are also complaints regarding illegal firearms. As government, we encourage the police to follow up on the information provided by residents and make arrests. Looking at the information that has been provided, we expect the police to make arrests soon,” said Ntuli.

Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said a manhunt for the culprits has been launched, and the police are following all leads.

“Preliminary investigations have revealed that some of the victims were on the Crime Intelligence Unit’s radar in connection with illegal activities, which police cannot divulge at the moment to protect investigations which have been launched. Although the motive of the shooting cannot be confirmed yet, a feud between rival groupings cannot be ruled out,” said Netshiunda.

At the time of publishing no arrests had been made.

In January 2022, a similar incident occurred in KwaMakhutha where gunmen opened fire on a group of men sitting near a road, killing four and leaving more injured.

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