‘LUCKY TO BE ALIVE’ – Four wounded in latest Maitland attack as mass shootings rock country

NewsSportLifestyleEntertainmentOpinionNews‘LUCKY TO BE ALIVE’ – Four wounded in latest Maitland attack as mass shootings rock countryMarsha Dean|Published 25 minutes agoCopy to ClipboardAsk AIFour shot and wounded TRIGGER HAPPY – Another four shot in Maitland

FOUR counts of attempted murder are under investigation after four men were shot and wounded in Maitland.

Thursday night’s attack came amid a deadly spate of shootings across South Africa in recent days, with 18 people killed in a tavern shooting in Wedela, west of Johannesburg, last weekend and another 10 gunned down at a shisanyama in Lwandle, near Cape Town.

Just a day before the Maitland attack, four people were killed in a late-night shooting in Lentegeur, Mitchells Plain.

Shots rang out at about 8pm at the corner of Coronation Road and First Avenue, where the four men were accosted by unknown gunmen who opened fire on the unsuspecting victims.

All four sustained serious injuries and were rushed to a medical facility for treatment.

Provincial police spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala confirmed that police are still hunting for those responsible, with no arrests made.

Gwala said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation, confirming: “Maitland police registered four counts of attempted murder following a shooting incident at the corners of Coronation Road and First Avenue on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at about 8pm.

“According to reports, four adult males sustained serious injuries and were transported to a medical facility for treatment. The motive for the attack is a subject of police investigation and the suspects are still at large.”

Police have appealed to anyone with information that could assist with the investigation to come forward.

The Maitland attack followed just hours after the deadly Lentegeur shooting, which claimed four lives on Wednesday night.

The victims have been identified as Aiden Thompson, Franko Blaauw, Noel Mellem and Anne Hofman.

Police responded to reports of gunfire at about 11.15pm, when two men were found fatally wounded in Blombos Street, lying next to each other. They were declared dead at the scene.

A trail then led towards nearby Eisleben Road, where Blaauw is believed to have collapsed while trying to escape.

Hofman was transported to a medical facility but succumbed to her injuries on Thursday morning.

The aftermath of the shooting was still starkly visible the following morning, with more than 40 evidence markers scattered along Blombos Street as police worked at the scene.

Blood remained visible where two of the victims had fallen.

Information can be provided anonymously to Crime Stop on 08600 10111, or through the MYSAPS mobile application.