Mass shooting in Durban leaves a community in shock
· The South African
Eleven people have been killed and three others injured in a late-night mass shooting in Durban’s KwaMakhutha township, with police still combing the scene for clues.
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Gunmen stormed a home in the Ziko area of KwaMakhutha before 23:00 on Tuesday, 22 September, opening fire on a group of 14 people gathered inside. A pregnant woman is among the dead.
WHAT’S BEEN CONFIRMED SO FAR
According to reports, 10 people died at the scene, while another died on the way to hospital.
The attackers also set fire to a car belonging to one of the victims before fleeing.
Other reports suggest a slightly lower initial count of at least 10 confirmed deaths, consistent with how casualty figures often shift in the earliest hours of a developing story like this one.
The victims were reportedly in their mid-30s.
KwaMakhutha SAPS and the eThekwini District Tracing Team are on scene investigating.
The motive for the attack is not yet clear, and no arrests have been reported at this stage.
Eleven people have been shot and killed in Iziko in KwaMakhutha before 11pm on Tuesday. The deceased include a pregnant woman #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/OIBfDURU0K
— Nonhlakanipho (@nipsta1724) September 23, 2026
HOW THE COMMUNITY IS REACTING
A KwaMakhutha resident who spoke to eNCA said he had grown up with several of the victims.
“It’s shocking and sad. These are guys I grew up with. I can’t believe it. It’s like a movie,” he said.
He described the area as one that had always felt safe, adding that in all his years living there, he had never witnessed anything like this.
“Their families are distraught, as you can see,” he said.
WHY THIS CASE IS STILL DEVELOPING
Because the shooting only happened last night, many key details, including a confirmed motive, the identity of the attackers, and the exact final death toll, remain unknown.
Police are continuing to process the scene, and further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.
This is a genuinely difficult story to sit with, an entire group of people gathered together, gone in a matter of moments, and a community left grappling with a kind of violence they say they’ve simply never experienced before.
Have you or your community ever experienced a tragedy this sudden and this devastating?
Let us know in the comments below…