At least 11 people have been killed and three others wounded after three gunmen opened fire at a house party in South Africa.

The shooting happened late Tuesday in KwaMakhutha township, about 30 kilometres south of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province.

Police said the victims had gathered at the house for a party when the suspects entered and opened fire.

Ten people, including a woman believed to be pregnant, were killed at the scene. An 11th victim later died in hospital.

The condition of the three wounded victims was not immediately known.

Police said they were searching for the attackers and no arrests had been made.

The motive for the shooting has not been established. Police said some of those at the house were known to authorities in connection with criminal investigations, but declined to provide further details.

“Although the motive of the shooting cannot be confirmed yet, (a) feud between rival groupings cannot be ruled out,” police said.

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli described the killings as “really disturbing” and said the community had known problems with drug dealing and illegal firearms.

The shooting is the latest in a series of mass killings in South Africa.

In June, multiple gunmen killed 12 people in a poor neighbourhood in Johannesburg. Two mass shootings two weeks apart in December left 21 people dead.

Official police statistics recorded 5,427 homicides between April and June, an average of nearly 60 killings a day.

Shootings are the most common form of homicide in South Africa. Police and crime experts have identified the widespread circulation of illegal firearms as a major factor behind the country’s high levels of violent crime.

At the KwaMakhutha scene, the bodies of some victims were placed outside the house and covered with white sheets as forensic investigators examined the area.

Police cordoned off the wider neighbourhood while investigators worked at the scene.

Authorities were also investigating whether a vehicle that was set on fire near the house was connected to the shooting. (Arise News)