ELEVEN people, including seven women and a one year old child, have died in the latest political massacre to afflict the Zulu heartland of KwaZulu/Natal.
The attack took place early yesterday morning at a family compound near the small town of Donnybrook, 100 km south west of Durban. Police say that most of the victims were shot at very close range with Kalashnikov assault rifles, shotguns or pistols. It is believed that the victims were supporters of President Mandela's African National Congress (ANC).
Seven of the victims were found in the kraal belonging to the Dlamini family, while four others were found within a radius of half a mile from the house. These included the infant, who appears to have suffocated under her mother's body after she was shot dead.
The attack appears to be the latest in a long series of atrocities sparked by political rivalry between the traditionalist Zulu movement, the Inkatha Freedom Party, and the ANC. Some 14,000 Zulus are believed to have died in over 10 years of fighting.
The Donnybrook attack occurred only a few hours after Mr Mandela had visited the province to open the ANC's campaign for local elections in May. Mr Mandela told the crowd at one meeting that there was peace between whites, Indians and "coloureds" (people of mixed race) in the province but Africans were still slaughtering each other.
Many people in the rest of our country still regard us as being backward he said. "What else can they say when you are behaving like animals, when you slaughter catch other simply because you want to remain in power?"