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Investigation under way after 7 men killed in south of Durban

21 May 2020, 6:13 PM |

Thulani Msimang | @SABCNews

KwaZulu-Natal police are investing the shooting that left seven people dead.

Image: SABC News

KwaZulu-Natal police are investing the shooting that left seven people dead.

A high-level police investigation is underway after seven people were gunned down in Msahweni, south of Durban, on Wednesday night. Seven bodies were discovered by community members after hearing gunshots in the area.

KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Khombinkosi Jula says police believe that the house where the men were found was an abandoned dwelling that was being used for criminal and drug activities. He says 20 ‘woonga’ straws and 25 ecstasy tablets were also found at the scene.

It is believed that the seven men were gunned down by unidentified gunmen. The victims were discovered by community members who called the police.

Police in KwaZulu-Natal have established a task team to investigate the killing:

The deceased are from different families and were discovered inside a mud house with their bodies bundled together. In the dark of the night and with a crowd of curious onlookers, detectives searched for clues.

Provincial Police Commissioner, Khombinkosi Jula visited the scene the next day. “A group of about seven people who converged in this house were attacked by an unknown gunman and were shot in an execution-style. What we have since learned is that the house itself is an abandoned house. What we have discovered in the house is that the deceased, the seven deceased were shot in an execution-style. There were drugs that were found because we have found 25 ecstasy tablets and also 25 woonga straws under their bodies.”

Meanwhile, some of the shocked friends of the victims say they are trying to come to terms with the killings.

“I am really not okay. It is hurting. I don’t know what they did … if they did something to those people. I was close to all of them. They were my friends, but the one I was close to is Nkanyiso Hlengwa.”

Police say no arrests have been made so far and that investigations are continuing.