A gunman has shot and killed five people from the same family in Mariannhill near Pinetown, in South Africa's troubled coastal province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Police said unknown gunmen opened fire at the family’s home last night around midnight. Four men were killed at the scene and a woman later died in hospital.

Capt Nqobile Gwala said: “We have opened five counts of murder for further investigation. The motive for the murders is still unknown. This is the second attack this week following the killing of eight people in Matimatolo.”

KwaZulu-Natal has experienced a spate of political killings in recent months but it is not entirely clear whether these latest killings are linked to politics.

BBC