THREE FEMALE BOXER MANAGERS GUNNED DOWN IN COLD BLOOD!
A disciplinary hearing at a Boxer grocery store in eShowe, KwaZulu-Natal, turned into a deadly shooting that claimed the lives of three women, leaving their families grieving and colleagues searching for answers.
Police are continuing their search for a former Boxer grocery store employee accused of shooting and killing three female managers at the retailer’s eShowe branch in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, 10 October 2026.
The incident has raised serious concerns about workplace safety after a meeting intended to address an employment matter allegedly ended in the deaths of three people.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the suspect had gone to the store to attend an internal disciplinary hearing before allegedly producing a firearm and shooting the victims.
“The suspect produced a firearm and shot three people who were declared dead at the scene. A manhunt for the suspect is underway,” Netshiunda said.
The suspect, who reportedly worked in the store’s bakery, had allegedly been called to answer to an internal disciplinary process. Police have not publicly identified him, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.
The victims were reportedly the store manager, bakery manager and administration manager. They were allegedly shot inside the store’s offices, away from the ordinary shopping areas of the supermarket.
One of the victims has been identified in media reports as Thandiwe Chili, 54, who was originally from eSikhaleni near Empangeni. Her death has left her family devastated, with relatives calling for justice and questioning whether stronger security measures could have prevented the tragedy.
According to accounts shared by her family with the media, the former employee had been informed of the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings before the shooting occurred. The precise sequence of events leading up to the killings has yet to be fully established by police.
Although reports have linked the attack to the disciplinary hearing, investigators still need to establish the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and what prompted the violence.
The deaths of the three women have also highlighted the devastating consequences that can follow when workplace disputes escalate into deadly violence.
The tragedy has left the victims’ families facing an uncertain future while trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of their loved ones.
Chili’s brother, Khehla Chili, told the media that the family wanted justice and was struggling to accept the circumstances in which his sister died.
He also raised concerns about the store’s security procedures, alleging that employees were searched when leaving the premises but were not routinely searched when arriving for work.
The family believes that more stringent security measures could potentially have helped prevent an armed individual from entering the workplace undetected. These allegations have not, however, been established as findings by investigators.
The concerns have prompted broader questions about how businesses assess threats, protect employees during disciplinary proceedings and respond when tensions arise between management and staff.
For many families, the expectation is that workplaces should provide a safe environment where disagreements can be addressed through established procedures without fear of violence.
WORKPLACE SAFETY UNDER SCRUTINY!
The eShowe shooting has brought renewed attention to the responsibility of employers to protect workers, particularly when dealing with disciplinary hearings, dismissals and other potentially confrontational employment matters.
Disciplinary proceedings are a normal part of workplace management, providing a formal mechanism for addressing alleged misconduct. However, incidents of workplace violence demonstrate the importance of having appropriate security arrangements and procedures for managing situations that could pose a risk to employees.
Such measures may include reviewing access-control systems, assessing threats where concerns have been raised and ensuring that employees know how to respond to emergencies.
The incident also raises questions about the emotional well-being of surviving staff members who may find it difficult to return to a workplace where their colleagues were killed.
Access to trauma counselling and employee support services can be important in helping affected workers cope with grief, shock and fear following a violent incident.
It remains unclear what specific support arrangements have been made available to employees at the eShowe store.