Four people have been shot and killed in separate incidents in the Mkhuhlu area in Bushbuckridge within five days, raising serious concerns over escalating gun violence in the Calcutta policing precinct.

According to police, the most recent incident occurred on Sunday, 12 April 2026, at Oakley Trust Makgona, where a 31-year-old man was shot and killed by unknown assailants at around midday.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Colonel Mavela Masondo, confirmed that a murder case has been opened and investigations are underway.

“We have opened a case of murder and are investigating the circumstances that led to the killing,” said Masondo.

In an earlier incident on Friday, 10 April 2026, police responded to a shooting in which a 37-year-old woman was killed while travelling with a 16-year-old boy and a 39-year-old man. The two surviving victims sustained injuries and managed to drive themselves to Matikwane Hospital for medical treatment. The attack reportedly took place between Sinyameni 2 and Hoxani College.

Two other fatal shootings were reported on Wednesday, 8 April 2026. In the first incident, a 60-year-old man was found dead next to his Isuzu bakkie along the road to Marite after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body.

On the same day, a 33-year-old Pakistani shop owner was shot and killed near the Traffic College in Mkhuhlu. Police said he had been seated with two other men when a suspect approached and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

No arrests have been made in connection with the four killings. Police have urged anyone with information to assist investigations.

The incidents form part of a worrying pattern of violent crime in the area, with reports indicating that dozens of firearm-related killings have occurred in Mkhuhlu and surrounding communities in recent years.

Source: Lowvelder, as published on The Citizen (2026).