Another violent shooting incident has left three members of the Khanyile family in Mandlankala in Richards Bay, northern KwaZulu-Natal dead, and the community shell-shocked.
A fourth middle-aged member of the family was badly injured and rushed to the hospital. The motive behind the killing is not yet known.
Gunman stormed the yard
According to a police note about the incident seen by Sunday World, the lone and angry gunman stormed the Khanyile home around 8pm on Monday. He asked for Sandile Khanyile. However, Mjibhazeni Khanyille (68), who was within the yard, said he (Sandile) was at work.
The gunman then got angry and shot Mjibhazeni twice in the head and on both hands, killing him. Satisfied that he had killed him, the gunman reportedly proceeded to another house within the Khanyile compound. There, he shot and killed Ntombeziningi Khanyile (63) three times in the stomach.
A 10-year-old Umnathi Vilakazi heard the gunshot and rushed to the house. But he was met with bullets on his chest and died on the scene. The suspect did not end, as he then shot Samkelisiwe Mngomezulu (age unknown) three times in the stomach and left leg.
Mngomezulu was rushed to a local hospital in a critical condition.
Gunman still at large
According to the report, the squad of police officers that attended to the crime scene found 12 used cartridges and one bullet head.
The gunman is still at large. Police in Esikhawini, the main police station that includes Mandlankala, have launched a manhunt.
Mass shootings in KwaZulu-Natal are common. And most of the time they have to do with family feuds, taxi wars, regional fights, castle rustling. Also suspicions over witchcraft, criminal deals gone wrong, and to a lesser extent, political grudges.
