Pietermaritzburg couple shot 16 times

The gruesome double murder of Zodwa Khumalo (57) and her husband Mandla Khumalo (58) from Emaqeleni in Pietermaritzburg has left relatives reeling and with many unanswered questions.

It is alleged that three men stormed into the couple’s home on Sunday around 9.30pm. Capital Newspapers gathered that this incident occurred while the family was busy with funeral arrangements for their last-born son Qiniso Khumalo (17), who was shot and killed on Friday.

Relative Smanga Khumalo said they were already in bed when they heard someone kicking the kitchen door. Three men entered and went straight to one of the bedrooms where there were two boys and they fired shots.

“They blocked the bedroom door with the wardrobe. One of them got shot in his fingers. The assailants then proceeded to the other room where the couple was sleeping in and shot them 16 times. Before leaving, they took a television. The only thing they said when leaving was, ‘Let’s leave. We are done with these dogs’. This incident has traumatised us as we were doing preparations for the funeral of the last born who was shot on Friday. We don’t know the motive of this incident,” he said.

He added that all members of this family have been killed.

“In October, the elder son was shot and killed alongside his niece. We suspect that the people who did this are the same ones as in October it was three men. We are scared. Our hopes now are with the police to find these people,” he said.

Attempts to get police comment were unsuccessful.