Police in South Africa said on Saturday they have launched a “massive manhunt” for at least four gunmen who shot six people dead over a missing identity card.

In the latest mass shooting to rock the crime-ridden country, the suspects stormed into a house in a township near the eastern city of Durban on Friday night and killed four people — two inside the main building, one in a backroom, and another near an outside toilet, police said.

Two more people were shot dead inside a shack a few metres away and a third was injured.

Preliminary investigations revealed the suspected ringleader demanded his identity document from the victims before shooting them, according to police spokesman Robert Netshiunda.

“It is believed that he was implicated and is wanted by police for another murder in which he allegedly dropped his identity document accidentally,” Netshiunda said.

Reports indicate the gunman believed one of the victims was in possession of the document, Netshiunda added.

Mass shootings are relatively common in South Africa, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates.

South Africa’s leading opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said the latest incident was a clear indication of the “total disregard” criminals have for law enforcement in the country.

Last week, a British doctor was shot dead in Cape Town after taking a wrong turn amid an outbreak of violence sparked by a minibus taxi strike. (AFP)