The body of a 30-year-old shop owner was found in his business premises, which operated from a shipping container in the heart of Magwaveni Township near Verulam.
The grim discovery was made at about 7.28pm when local authorities were alerted to the incident.
Prem Balram, spokesperson for Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), reported that their response centre had received an urgent call from a concerned resident in the area.
"According to the caller, a single gunshot was heard emanating from a general dealer operating out of a shipping container," Mr Balram said.
"The caller expressed grave concern, suspecting that the shop's owner had fallen victim to a shooting,” he said.
Reaction officers dispatched to the scene found that the man had already died by the time they arrived.
“The circumstances surrounding the death of the shop owner remains shrouded in mystery, and authorities are actively investigating the incident. We have been assisting local police to gather crucial information and piece together the events leading up to the fatal shooting,” said Mr Balram.
The identity of the victim has not yet been released pending notification of his next of kin.
“Authorities are urging anyone with pertinent information related to this incident to come forward and assist with the on-going investigation,” said Mr Balram.