Seven men shot and burned in horrific attack

SEVEN men were shot dead and their bodies partially burned inside a house in Philippi East on Friday night, leaving the community in shock.

- MANDILAKHE TSHWETE [e-mail]

The attack occurred around 10pm in Road 53, Better Life, and is believed to be a coordinated execution.

One victim was found in the front room, while six others lay in the bedroom, their bodies surrounded by smoke-stained walls and the charred remnants of a fire that the killers had tried to start.

A strong smell of smoke lingered through the house on Saturday morning. Blood marked the passage, the bedroom door was scorched, and blankets lay heaped in the centre of the dark room. In the kitchen, a bowl of dough sat untouched, a haunting reminder of the life interrupted just moments before the gunfire.