Durban — The village where seven family members were shot dead execution-style on Wednesday night was fast becoming a “killing field”, said Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli regarding the situation at Hlokozi village outside Highflats on the South Coast.
The slaughter is believed to have been an act of revenge for the recent murders that were allegedly committed by one of the family’s sons.
Seven Khambule clan members, including three children, were slain on Wednesday. In the shooting just after 7pm, Bahlakaniphile Khambule, 64, was shot and killed alongside her daughter Philile Khambule, 39, Philile’s daughter Lisa, 9, Nompilo Khambule with her sons Zemvelo, 5, and Siphosethu, 9, and Skhumbuzo Khambule (clan family member).
Speaking to the media on Thursday, the family revealed that a few days before the killing, unknown people came home looking for one of the sons and made it clear that they were there to kill him. The son who is the husband of Nompilo (one of the massacre victims) had been arrested earlier in the day.
Giving details of the shooting, Dudu Khambule told the media that her mother (Bahlakaniphile) had asked Nompilo, daughter-in-law, to leave her house and stay with the whole family after unknown men had come looking for her husband, saying the family had been receiving threats.
“Although we do not know the motive of the killing, we are aware there were people who came to my brother’s house looking for him and had made death threats,” said Dudu.
She said she was not home and the neighbours called her and said that they had heard gunshots at her home. She then rushed home to find seven of her family slain.
The family was visited by Premier Ntuli who was accompanied by the provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. The premier offered his condolences to the family and called on the police to ensure that they found the killers soon. He called the killers animals who did not deserve to be among the community, urging members of the public to assist police in finding them.
Ntuli said besides the latest killing, he had been made aware that the entire village was becoming a killing field and vowed to ensure that the citizens were safe. He also announced that the family would be given all the necessary support it needed until the burial.
Briefing the media, Mkhwanazi said the killers found all the deceased in one room where they were watching TV and had shot them execution-style. He said 25 spent cartridges were found on the scene. He also announced that the murders would be investigated by provincial detectives working with the district unit. Hlokozi area has seen several killings including the recent murder of two Dlamini sons who were ambushed while paying lobola for their brother.
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