At least 11 people have been killed and several others injured after gunmen opened fire at a house party in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, on Tuesday night.
According to police, three men entered the property and began shooting at people gathered inside the house. KwaMakhutha is located about 30km south of Durban on South Africa’s east coast.
Police said one of the victims was a woman believed to have been pregnant. Three other people were wounded in the attack and taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Authorities said 13 men and one woman were reportedly attending the gathering when the three gunmen arrived. Ten people, including the woman, died at the scene, while four others were transported to hospital. One of those taken to hospital later died from gunshot wounds.
The area around the property was secured and cordoned off as forensic investigators examined the scene and collected evidence.
Police have launched a manhunt for the suspects, and no arrests had been made at the time of the statement.
The motive for the shooting has not yet been established. However, police said some of those present at the gathering were known to investigators in connection with criminal activity, although authorities did not provide further details about those investigations.
Police said a conflict between rival groups could not be excluded as a possible motive, but stressed that the circumstances surrounding the shooting were still being investigated.
Investigators are also examining whether a vehicle that was set alight near the property was connected to the shooting.
The latest incident comes amid a series of mass shootings in South Africa in recent years. In June, 12 people were killed in a shooting in Johannesburg, while two separate mass shootings in December last year, occurring two weeks apart, claimed a combined 21 lives.
Police statistics also indicate that South Africa recorded an average of almost 60 homicides per day between April and June this year, highlighting the country's ongoing struggle with violent crime.
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