Three men will appear in court on Friday in connection with the kidnapping and murder of seven family members from KwaDukuza in KwaZulu-Natal.
Police said the seven — aged between 20 and 83 — were abducted from a house at a lot in Newtown, Newark on Tuesday, killed and abandoned in a veld in Melmoth.
Provincial spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said reports indicate a domestic helper who worked for the family sounded the alarm when she arrived at work on Wednesday, and found the house broken into with the family and a vehicle missing.
Newark police were summoned to the scene and various police units were activated. Investigations led police to the Hlomendlini area, where two suspects were arrested on Wednesday afternoon. One of the suspects was found in possession of a cellphone that belonged to one of the kidnapped victims.
Further investigation led police to the Dendetu area in Sundumbili, where the third suspect was arrested. He was found in the possession of a firearm, and 11 cellphones were recovered.
Netshiunda said one of the suspects worked for the victims.
“He and his accomplices allegedly broke into the victims’ house, tied them up with a rope, and one them allegedly raped a 20-year-old woman before loading them onto a vehicle belonging to one of the victims, and drove to Melmoth, a distance of approximately 200km from the scene.
“Police also unearthed that the same suspect who raped the 20-year-old at the house, raped her again in Melmoth, before demanding banking details and personal identification numbers (PIN) from three victims. After collecting the banking details, the suspects shot dead three victims. The other four victims were stabbed to death,” he said.
Police also discovered that on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning that several bank transfers were made from the victims’ accounts.
The suspects led the police to Melmoth on Wednesday, where the bodies of the seven victims were found.
The suspects — aged 21, 26 and 28 — will appear in the KwaDukuza magistrate’s court on Friday.
Provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi commended police for the swift arrest of suspects and instructed investigating officers to ensure that justice is served so that the families of the victims may get closure.
“Some crimes are difficult for police to prevent. However, if a crime happens, police’s reaction capacity must be equal to the task and crack the case,” he said.
“It is worrisome that one of the suspects was employed by the victims. We are urging employers to do background checks on all the people they employ and also study their suspicious behaviour.”
In some cases, especially in the farms and secluded areas, crimes are committed by people who are familiar and close to the victims, said Mkhwanazi.
“Police will leave no stone unturned in the quest for a maximum jail sentence for the suspects. We will also analyse every piece of evidence to see if the suspect can be linked to other cases in and around the province.”
The investigation was a combined effort, which included:
- members of Newark police working together;
- KwaDukuza detectives;
- a tactical response team;
- the provincial counterintelligence and counterkidnapping units;
- the serious and violent crimes unit; and
- E2 partners.
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