Three women were shot dead and a man was wounded at a liquor establishment in the Nkodibe area of KwaMsane, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday, 10 October 2026. Police say the shooter was an off-duty police constable who allegedly turned the firearm on himself.

The motive is not known. Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said: "The cause of the shooting is unknown at this stage."

What police say happened

Netshiunda said officers who arrived at the scene "found four bodies with gunshot wounds". One further victim with a gunshot wound was taken to hospital.

Police allege the constable shot the three women and wounded a man, and that during the incident he disarmed another man of his firearm. Two firearms were recovered at the scene. Police have not said whether the constable's weapon was an official service pistol.

The investigation

According to published coverage, police are investigating three counts of murder, one of attempted murder and an inquest into the constable's death. Because the alleged shooter is dead, no court case against him can proceed; the inquest process determines the circumstances of a death.

Police have not released the names or ages of the women. The Insight Factor is not naming the victims or the constable until families have been notified and police confirm identities.

A violent weekend in KwaZulu-Natal

The tavern shooting happened on the same day as a separate shooting at a grocery store in Eshowe, where three people were declared dead at the scene. Police have said a former employee who had attended a disciplinary hearing at the store is being sought. Reports of the combined toll differ: some say six people died, others seven. The incidents as described add up to seven, counting the constable. We have not been given an explanation for the difference.

What we do not yet know

  • The motive, and whether the constable knew the women or the wounded man.
  • The constable's station, rank and whether the weapon was a police-issued firearm.
  • The condition of the wounded man.
  • The exact time of the shooting and how many people were in the tavern.
  • Whether the Independent Police Investigative Directorate has been informed; no published report we reviewed mentions it.
  • The exact location: one report places KwaMsane "near Eshowe"; confirm the municipality and distance with SAPS.