A family feud may have led to the deaths of eight people in KwaZulu-Natal. Two separate shooting incidents eight hours apart occurred in Taylor’s Halt on Wednesday. It brings to 14 the number of people shot dead in the province this week.
Under the cover of darkness, a gunman crept onto a family’s property and executed the entire household.
Thobeka Dubazane died with her 16-month-old daughter Thandolwethu on her back. Her other daughter, Sphilela, and sisters-in-law Zodwa and Dingeni Nxele were also shot dead.
Muziwehlanhla Nxele, a relative said, “when I entered I saw my sister-in-law with a child on her back on the floor. I went into the room and found another sister lying lifeless. Then, my nephew who was next door arrived. He’s the one who told me that others are in the bathroom. When we got there my older sister, who’s the firstborn of my father, we found her lying there with my nephew. They were also dead.”
The victims had received tragic news only eight hours before their deaths. Two of their relatives and a mechanic had been ambushed and murdered in a drive-by shooting. A fourth person was wounded but survived.
The Nxele family says it wasn’t a robbery at their house – but they don’t want to speculate on the motive.
“We are people who believe in God. So much so, that after this tragedy I said what happened in this home was meant to be. If God didn’t agree they would have been shot at but would have survived. It was God’s will that they didn’t make it,” Nxele said.
Police investigations are already showing the matter may have been personal.
14 people have been shot dead in 4 separate incidents in KZN this week already. In Taylor’s Halt alone, 8 people were murdered in two shootings on the same day. @SAPoliceService provincial commissioner Khombinkosi Jula tells us more about yesterday’s cases. #KZNmurders #eNCA pic.twitter.com/7qprqIsSOh
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) August 27, 2020
KZN SAPS commissioner Khombinkosi said, “we are dealing with a long-standing problem in this area which dates back to 2010 which has been running within a specific family and we are hopeful at some point these families in conflict with each other can bury the hatchet.”
Senior investigators are handling the case and there are extra police deployments in the area.
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Source: eNCA
