A massive manhunt is underway in KwaZulu-Natal for four armed men who brutally killed four members of a family in a homestead attack near KwaDweshula, south of Port Shepstone, on Wednesday night.
According to police, the assailants, armed with firearms and a bush knife, targeted the family homestead. An eyewitness, the fiancée of one of the victims, reported that the men first broke down the door of a rondavel where she and her partner were sleeping.
The men demanded money. After the demand was not met, they shot her partner dead. The attackers then forced the fiancée to the main house, where they dragged her inside and confronted the rest of the family.
In the main house, the gunmen again demanded money before shooting and killing a woman, identified by family as Grace, and her two daughters. The fiancée was assaulted but survived the ordeal. The brother of the victims, who does not live at the homestead, arrived after being alerted just before midnight to find his entire family wiped out.
Speaking to reporters, the brother explained the sequence of events and suggested a possible motive. He stated that while the family used to play stockvel (a community savings scheme), he had recently learned that the mother, Grace, had also been operating as a money lender, or “loan shark.” He believes the attackers may have targeted the home believing there was cash on the premises.
“Their greatest wish is for justice to prevail and for these four men to be brought to book,” said a family councillor who was present.
Police spokesperson confirmed that an investigating team from the Port Shepstone police station is on the scene collecting statements. However, authorities report there are currently no tangible leads as to the identities or whereabouts of the four suspects.
“The motive for the killings, if indeed it was a robbery, is still under investigation,” the spokesperson said.
The community has been left in shock by the violence, which has cast a pall over the start of the new year for the bereaved family and the wider area.