Eight females of single KZN family murdered
Eight people have died after a night of terror in KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial police say two women and four girls were shot and killed in the Embangweni village in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
Police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala says the deceased were aged 2, 10, 14, 14, 58 and 60.
She says a group of unknown gun-toting men stormed two family homes and opened fire.
They then doused the homes with petrol before setting it alight.
The homes were roughly 100 metres apart.
Two children died in hospital as a result of their burn wounds on Wednesday.
Police say the motive for the killing is unknown at this stage.
Meanwhile, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal says it's an absolute tragedy.
ANC KZN spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli says: "This is unprecedented and difficult to deal with. It's a very challenging situation. We hope the local community will help police and provide them with information about what could have led to such a barbaric act."
He says it is very difficult to say whether the killings were motivated by politics or recent investigations into incidents of cannibalism in the province.