A Welbedatch family has been left shattered following a brutal, suspected revenge killing that claimed the lives of four people, including an 18-year-old boy and his aunt, in a shocking chain of violence that has gripped the community.
The deceased have been identified as 18-year-old Karabo Ayanda Gumede and his aunt, Fikile Gumede.
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The names of the two other young men who were killed have not yet been confirmed.
According to information provided by a surviving witness, two gunmen travelling in a blue vehicle are being sought in connection with the deadly shooting spree.
It is alleged that the violence stems from an incident on Sunday night, when Karabo and his friends intervened to assist three young women who had reportedly been mugged.
The group is said to have pursued the suspected perpetrators and apprehended them before members of the community arrived and assaulted the suspects.
One of the alleged perpetrators later died in hospital, while another remains in a critical condition.
In what is believed to be a retaliatory attack, the gunmen reportedly tracked down Karabo and his friends at a nearby tuckshop.
Witnesses say the suspects opened fire multiple times, striking the victims in the head and chest. Karabo and two of his friends died at the scene.
The attackers then allegedly proceeded to the family home, where they entered a bedroom and opened fire on Fikile Gumede, reportedly mistaking her for another individual who had escaped the earlier shooting.
She was rushed to R.K. Khan Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.
Karabo’s mother, who was inside the house at the time, said she had locked herself in her bedroom and was heavily medicated after recently being discharged from hospital following an operation.
She said she initially heard noises and believed there was a disturbance outside the yard. Remaining quiet, she listened closely before hearing a door being banged as the gunmen fled the house.
“A few moments later I called out to my sister, but there was no response,” she said. “When I went to check on her, I found her lying in a pool of blood, still breathing.”
She said she ran out to seek help and attempted to contact emergency services until a passing motorist stopped and assisted her to a nearby ambulance depot.
Upon returning home to rush her sister to hospital, she received the devastating news that her son had been shot dead near the tuckshop alongside his friends.
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Police are investigating the incident and a manhunt has been launched for the suspects. No arrests have been confirmed at this stage.
Chatsworth and Merebank Tabloid has reached out to Chatsworth SAPS for comment. This is a developing story.
