Durban - A 43-year-old man was shot dead in a house robbery in Westville, near Durban, on Tuesday, KwaZulu-Natal police said.
"In the early hours of this morning... the 43-year-old victim was sitting outside the house on the balcony when he was allegedly approached by the suspects, who were armed with firearms," said Captain Thulani Zwane.
"He tried to close the door and the suspects fired one shot through the door, fatally wounding him. He was certified dead at the scene by paramedics."
Zwane said the police arrested seven men a few hours later.
"All stolen goods taken from the house were recovered from the suspects, including three cellphones and a wallet. A 9mm pistol suspected to be used during the shooting was found as well as a toy gun."
He said the pistol would be sent for ballistic tests to establish whether it had been used in any other crimes.
The men arrested, aged between 25 and 30 years, would appear in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court on Thursday, on charges of murder and house robbery.
He said they had been linked to two house robberies in the area last week.