Seven members of a single family were gunned down in their home in rural South Africa, including three children. The attack occurred late Wednesday at their residence in Highflats, a town located approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province.
According to police reports, the victims ranged in age from a five-year-old boy to a woman in her mid-50s. The assailants, whose identities remain unknown, executed the victims in what authorities describe as a planned murder. “We are convinced as police that it was an execution. It was a planned murder,” stated provincial police commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
The police revealed that the gunmen entered the house while the family was watching television. They forced one family member, who was outside, to knock on the door before launching their attack. Once inside, the assailants fired approximately 25 bullets, with some victims being shot in the head while lying on the floor.
The motive behind this brutal attack is still unclear. The South African homicide rate remains one of the highest globally, with nearly 6,200 murders reported between April and June this year alone, according to recent police statistics.
