A tragic confrontation involving a woman, her current boyfriend, and her ex-boyfriend resulted in the ex-boyfriend being fatally shot on the morning of Saturday, 11 July 2026. The incident occurred at a single-room rented dwelling within an informal settlement in Blackburn, KwaZulu-Natal.
The Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) Operations Centre was alerted to the scene at approximately 05:35 following reports of a shooting.
Sequence of events
According to information gathered at the scene, the deceased, a man believed to be in his mid-30s, arrived at his ex-boyfriend's residence and knocked aggressively on the door. When the woman opened the door, her current partner was present inside the dwelling.
An argument broke out after the man allegedly told the current boyfriend that he was not there for him. During the dispute, the man demanded the return of items he claimed to have previously purchased for his ex-boyfriend, though the woman denied that any of his belongings remained at the residence.
Self-defence claim and police investigation
The current boyfriend reported to Reaction Officers that he was lying on his bed when the ex-boyfriend allegedly produced an Okapi knife and attempted to stab him. The current boyfriend stated that, fearing for his life, he retrieved his licensed firearm from beneath his pillow and discharged a single round in self-defence.
The man collapsed outside the dwelling and was declared deceased at the scene, where an Okapi knife and a spent cartridge casing were subsequently recovered. Further inquiries revealed that the deceased was known in the local area and had allegedly left his pregnant partner at home before travelling to the scene to confront his former girlfriend. The South African Police Service (SAPS) has since taken over the investigation.