The two brothers who were killed five days apart, one gunned down by police after a ritual apparently gone wrong, have been buried.

The Ngubane brothers - Sazi and Mduduzi - were killed in Yeoville, Johannesburg. The family buried them in eMabomvini in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday.

Their relative, Mtomuhle Mzila, said the family was struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, saying they needed counselling.

"The funeral went well but I must be honest, the family is struggling to be strong. I think it is still going to take some time before we can recover. If you look at this situation, things like this really need social workers or some people who can give us counselling.

"We would really appreciate it if we can get counselling; the pain we are going through is way too deep," said Mzila.

On May 20, 32-year-old Sazi was killed by police after discharging a firearm while performing a ritual at the spot where his brother Mduduzi was stabbed to death several days earlier.

Sazi had gone to the scene to "fetch his brother's spirit", as per tradition. To conclude the ceremony, Sazi apparently fired several shots in the air as his brother had died by a weapon on May 15.

But the shots were heard by the police, who rushed to the scene.

Some residents pointed Sazi out as the person who had fired the shots. Witnesses said police opened fire after Sazi had jumped out of the car and surrendered. He was certified dead on the scene.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate said information showed that Sazi opened fire at the officers and they retaliated, killing him.