The head of the provincial government and police says gunmen stormed a homestead in a township in South Africa’s eastern port city of Durban, killing 11 people.
South Africa is awash with legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are common, often fuelled by gang rivalry and competition between informal businesses.
Three other people survived the attack in the township of KwaMakhutha south of Durban, police said.
The motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, police said, adding that investigators were following a “promising” lead that could assist in the case.
Local television station eNCA reported that the attackers forced everyone into a room before shooting them and also set fire to a car belonging to one of the victims.
Acting police chief Puleng Dimpane said she had activated a 72-hour tracking operation to pursue and apprehend those responsible.
South Africa has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with about 60 people killed each day in a country of around 62 million.
In March, soldiers were deployed to violence hotspots across the country to support police efforts to tackle rampant crime, which President Cyril Ramaphosa has described as one of the biggest threats facing South Africa.