Durban — It only took a few hours to arrest a suspect believed to have been involved in the mass stabbing of a family in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday night.
KZN police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said: “Police in Bergville have arrested a 33-year-old suspect, just a few hours after he stabbed and killed his five family members and injured two more in the Bethany area in Bergville on Saturday night.”
Netshiunda said that in an operation led by the station commander, police swiftly gathered intelligence and uncovered the suspect’s whereabouts.
“The suspect is expected to appear in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, facing five counts of murder and two of attempted murder,” Netshiunda said.
Earlier, Netshiunda reported that a massive manhunt was launched for the man who stabbed seven of his family members and killed five of them at his home.
Netshiunda said according to reports, the suspect and his uncle visited the neighbours and on their return, the suspect found his mother sitting in the lounge with other family members.
Information further suggests that the suspect took a knife from the couch and stabbed his mother, who managed to run outside of the house.
He then turned his attention to his uncle, who died on the passage as he tried to flee to the neighbours. The suspect went on to stab and kill two girl children, aged two and six years old. The suspect also stabbed and killed a disabled woman, as well as another elderly woman who was visiting the house, Netshiunda said.
The suspect’s mother and another four-year-old girl survived with multiple stab wounds. The suspect’s sister managed to run to safety with her one-year-old baby.
Netshiunda said the ages of the other victims were yet to be verified.
“Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the suspect had several domestic violence-related cases opened against him, however, all of them were later voluntarily withdrawn,” Netshiunda said.
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