The victims, including a pregnant woman, were gathered in the house shortly before 11pm on Tuesday night when armed assailants entered the area and opened fire, said Thamsanqa Ntuli, who heads KwaZulu-Natal province.
Two people survived the attack, according to Ntuli.
The incident has plunged the local community into deep shock and sadness, he says.
Every day, around 60 people are killed in South Africa and the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world.
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