A 51-year-old KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) man has been arrested for fatally shooting and beheading his mother and sister on Wednesday afternoon.
Reports of a shooting
KZN police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda confirmed the incident. He said police arrested the man in connection with the murder of his mother and his sister at their home in ESigodini on Wednesday afternoon.
Netshiunda said police responded to reports of a shooting. Upon arrival at the crime scene, the bodies of an 87-year-old woman and her 39-year-old daughter were found. The bodies were lying in a pool of blood with their heads chopped off.
“A subsequent search inside the yard led to the recovery of the deceased persons’ heads, which were stashed inside a pit latrine. The knife which was used to cut off the heads was also recovered. The shooting was witnessed by a 12-year-old girl who escaped and alerted the neighbours,” said Netshiunda.
Discovered in a pit toilet
He said the suspect was later arrested and was found in an illegal possession of a firearm. It is believed to be the weapon which was used in the commission of the crime.
Netshiunda said the suspect will appear in the Richmond magistrate’s court on Friday.
According to the latest police crime statistics for the period of July to September this year, 6 945 people were murdered in South Africa. Out of the people killed during this reporting period, 881 were women and 293 were children.
Crime stats
The police crime statistics showed that KZN and Limpopo provinces recorded double-digit percentage decreases in their murder rates this year. The period in question is between July and September this year, compared to the same period last year.
This is despite KZN experiencing numerous mass shootings. The province claimed three or more lives at a time between July and September this year.
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