DURBAN, South Africa — Eleven people were killed and three others injured after gunmen opened fire on a group gathered inside a house in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, police said on Wednesday, 23 September.
The attack happened in the Ziko area before 11 PM on Tuesday. KwaZulu-Natal police said 14 people 13 men and one woman believed to have been pregnant were at a party when at least three attackers entered the property and began shooting.
Ten victims died at the scene. Four people were taken to hospital, where one later died, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11. Police have launched a manhunt and said persons of interest have been identified, but no arrest had been announced by the morning update.
What happened in the KwaMakhutha shooting? Police say at least three gunmen entered a house in the Ziko area late on 22 September and opened fire on 14 people. Eleven victims died and three were injured. Investigators have identified persons of interest, but the motive remains unconfirmed and no arrest has been announced.
What police have confirmed about the attack
The South African Police Service listed the KwaMakhutha manhunt in its national media-statement archive on Wednesday. Police said the shooting involved 14 people inside one residential property.
Eyewitness News reported that the group comprised 13 men and one woman. Its morning update said officers had identified persons of interest as forensic work continued at the scene.
The woman was described by police-linked reports as believed to have been pregnant. Authorities had not publicly released the victims' names by the reporting cutoff, and family notifications should take priority over online attempts to identify them.
The casualty figures are internally consistent: ten deaths at the house, four people transported for treatment, one later death and three surviving injured people. The Witness carried the same police breakdown.
The motive has not been established
JUSTICE & CRIME
KwaMakhutha Shooting Kills 11 as Police Hunt Gunmen
Sep 23, 2026
Sep 23, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
DURBAN, South Africa — Eleven people were killed and three others injured after gunmen opened fire on a group gathered inside a house in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, police said on Wednesday, 23 September.
The attack happened in the Ziko area before 11 PM on Tuesday. KwaZulu-Natal police said 14 people 13 men and one woman believed to have been pregnant were at a party when at least three attackers entered the property and began shooting.
Ten victims died at the scene. Four people were taken to hospital, where one later died, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11. Police have launched a manhunt and said persons of interest have been identified, but no arrest had been announced by the morning update.
What happened in the KwaMakhutha shooting? Police say at least three gunmen entered a house in the Ziko area late on 22 September and opened fire on 14 people. Eleven victims died and three were injured. Investigators have identified persons of interest, but the motive remains unconfirmed and no arrest has been announced.
What police have confirmed about the attack
The South African Police Service listed the KwaMakhutha manhunt in its national media-statement archive on Wednesday. Police said the shooting involved 14 people inside one residential property.
Eyewitness News reported that the group comprised 13 men and one woman. Its morning update said officers had identified persons of interest as forensic work continued at the scene.
The woman was described by police-linked reports as believed to have been pregnant. Authorities had not publicly released the victims' names by the reporting cutoff, and family notifications should take priority over online attempts to identify them.
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The casualty figures are internally consistent: ten deaths at the house, four people transported for treatment, one later death and three surviving injured people. The Witness carried the same police breakdown.
The motive has not been established
Police said preliminary checks showed that some victims had been on Crime Intelligence's radar in connection with suspected illegal activity. They did not disclose the alleged activity, saying more detail could compromise the investigation.
That statement is an investigative lead, not proof that any victim committed a crime or that the gathering was criminal. The people killed cannot answer untested allegations, and the police account does not establish why the gunmen attacked the house.
Investigators said a feud between rival groupings could not be ruled out. eNCA's report from KwaMakhutha also stressed that the motive remained unclear. A possible line of inquiry should not be reported as a confirmed gang or organised-crime attack unless evidence later supports that conclusion.
eNCA reported that a vehicle belonging to one of the victims was set alight. Police had not explained whether the fire was intended to destroy evidence, intimidate witnesses or served another purpose, so its significance remains unresolved.
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Police identify persons of interest as manhunt continues
KwaZulu-Natal police continued searching for the attackers on Wednesday. Identifying a person of interest does not mean police have named a suspect, obtained an arrest warrant or established criminal responsibility.
The next important confirmations will be any arrest, the recovery of firearms or vehicles, a verified account of how the attackers arrived and escaped, and forensic evidence connecting individuals to the scene. Until then, descriptions of the perpetrators should remain limited to the police account of at least three gunmen.
The case is separate from the Johannesburg mass shooting in which 12 people were killed in June. Similar casualty numbers and an active manhunt do not establish a shared group, weapon source or motive.
It is also unrelated to the Kempton Park investigation into women's deaths, where police have warned against linking cases without forensic proof. Each investigation requires its own evidence.
What residents should do with information
Police have asked for help as the manhunt develops. Anyone with direct information, surveillance footage or knowledge of vehicles connected to the attack should preserve the original material and provide it to investigators rather than edit or recirculate it online.
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Graphic images and unsupported names can retraumatise relatives, expose witnesses and damage a later prosecution. Claims about the victims' identities, criminal histories or family relationships should be treated as unverified unless police or authorised relatives confirm them.
The same caution applies to accounts that attempt to identify gunmen from social-media photographs. Police must test tips against scene evidence, witness statements and forensic results. Public speculation is not a substitute for that process.
Forensic teams must document the house, recover cartridge cases and other evidence, and compare any usable material with police records. Investigators will also need statements from the three injured survivors when medically possible.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli was expected to visit the area and meet law-enforcement officials, community representatives and affected families, according to Eyewitness News. Any official visit does not change the evidentiary status of the case.
The verified position as of 9:02 AM EAT is that 11 people were killed, three were injured, persons of interest had been identified and the police search was continuing. The motive, identities of the attackers and any connection to rival groups remained unconfirmed.
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