Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane has vowed that police will get to the bottom of the mass shooting in KwaMakhutha, south of Durban, which claimed the lives of 11 people.
The victims, including a pregnant woman, were among a group of about 14 people who had gathered at a home in the Ziko area on Tuesday night when at least three gunmen entered the property and opened fire. Three others were injured.
Dimpane was briefing Parliament’s Police Portfolio Committee on the first-quarter crime statistics for the 2026/27 financial year when she addressed the shooting.
She says she has ordered the activation of a 72-hour tracking operation involving a multidisciplinary team, including Crime Intelligence, to identify and apprehend those responsible.
Dimpane described the killings as unacceptable and said police would pursue the perpetrators.
KwaZulu-Natal police say the motive for the shooting has not yet been established, although gang rivalry has not been ruled out. Police have also indicated that some of the victims were known to Crime Intelligence in connection with alleged illegal activities.
Meanwhile, the KwaMakhutha Community Policing Forum is calling for the local police station to be expanded amid concerns over illegal drugs and firearms in the area.
CPF chairperson David Mamba says additional resources and more police officers are needed to address crime in the community.
He says the area continues to face challenges linked to illegal drugs, firearms and drug outlets, and believes an expanded police station could help increase police visibility.
The investigation into the shooting is continuing, with police appealing to anyone with information that could assist in identifying the suspects to come forward.