8 Killed in Umlazi Informal Settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africans Horrified

8 Killed in Umlazi Informal Settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africans Horrified

  • The South African Police Service is investigating a case of murder after a mass shooting in KwaZulu-Natal
  • Eight people were killed in Umlazi in the south of Durban when unknown assailants opened fire in a shack in an informal settlement
  • The victims included six men and two women, and South Africans were shaken by the violent nature of the shooting

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered criminal activities, cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

Eight people were killed during a shooting in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal
South Africans were devastated by a mass shooting in Umlazi. Images: Lerexis and Kelvin Murray
Source: Getty Images

UMLAZI, DURBAN — South Africans were shaken after eight people were shot and killed in a mass shooting on 17 May 2025.

8 killed in deadly Umlazi shooting

According to SABC News, the victims were inside a shack in an informal settlement when an unknown number of assailants entered. Without warning, they opened fire and killed everyone in the shack before fleeing. Six men and two women between the ages of 22 and 40 were murdered. The South African Police Service found them lying in a pool of blood.

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The police have launched a manhunt for those involved in the shooting, as the motive for the shooting remains unknown. The police are calling on members of the public to assist with information which can assist in the investigation.

Recent mass shootings in South Africa

South Africans were saddened by the death of eight people in KwaZulu-Natal
The death of eight people in a shooting moved netizens. Image: Klaus Vedfelt
Source: Getty Images

South Africans devastated

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2 Elderly Eastern Cape sisters were shot and killed in their sleep, South Africans shaken

The incident shook netizens on Facebook.

Oma M Isse said:

"With over 2.5 million private security personnel in South Africa, significantly outnumbering the police, and the potential for weapons falling into irresponsible hands, how do we ensure effective firearm control and public safety, especially when there's roughly one officer for every 57 private security personnel?"

Paul Anthony Du Preez said:

"Our country is out of control."

Gerald Sibene said:

"So sad. People are so cruel, killing people like flies."

Ciise Daahir Cabdulle Xikam said:

"South Africa appears to be a failed state, having failed to maintain security within the country. New and alarming incidents are occurring regularly, causing fear and anxiety among the population."

KZN police arrest 6 for Estcourt shooting

In a related article, Briefly News reported that the police arrested six people in October 2025 for the mass shooting in Estcourt. The shooting happened at a traditional ceremony.

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3 Including Limpopo taxi association members killed in midnight gunfight

Five people were killed in the mass shooting. A day after the shooting happened, the police found the men hiding inside a room in the Eastern Cape.

Source: Briefly News

Authors:
Tebogo Mokwena avatar

Tebogo Mokwena (Current Affairs editor) Tebogo Mokwena is the Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk and a current affairs writer at Briefly News. With a Diploma in Journalism from ALISON, he has a strong background in digital journalism, having completed training with the Google News Initiative. He began his career as a journalist at Daily Sun, where he worked for four years before becoming a sub-editor and journalist at Capricorn Post. He then joined Vutivi Business News in 2020 before moving to Briefly News in 2023.