About 12 people have been brutally killed in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal over the weekend.
Gauteng police confirmed seven people, including a toddler, were shot and killed and three others sustained injuries in the early hours of Sunday, at Mokokotlong Informal Settlement, Orange Farm.
After the shooting, police said the perpetrator shot and killed himself
Gauteng Provincial SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said police in Orange Farm responded to a shooting incident.
Muridili said it is reported that one of the victims went to the local tavern to buy alcohol but he found that it was already closed.
He had an altercation with the tavern owner and went back home. It is alleged that the tavern owner followed him home where the family members were still celebrating after lobola negotiations.
“The tavern owner entered the house and opened fire on the family members. He shot and killed seven people including a three-year-old boy (five family members, a neighbour, and a friend).
“Four people survived the shooting, two of them, a 31-year-old and a one-year-old boy were taken to hospital with injuries while a 24-year-old woman and a four-year-old did not have injuries,” said Muridili.
He said the suspect then drove back home to Evaton where he allegedly shot himself.
“He was rushed to hospital but he died on arrival,” she said.
Muridili said the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit have registered seven counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and an inquest.
Meanwhile, KZN police confirmed the arrest of a suspect aged 33, just a few hours after he allegedly stabbed and killed his five family members and injured two more at the Bethany area in Bergville on Saturday night.
“In an operation led by the Station Commander, police quickly gathered intelligence and uncovered the whereabouts of the suspect,” said KZN Provincial SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda.
According to him, the suspect was expected to appear in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday to face five counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
Earlier on Sunday, Netshiunda had reported that the suspect and his uncle went to visit neighbours, and on their return, the suspect found his mother sitting in the lounge with others. Information further suggests that the suspect took a knife from the couch and stabbed his mother, who managed to run outside of the house.
Thereafter he 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. He also stabbed and killed a woman who was living with disability as well as another elderly woman who had visited the house. The suspect’s mother and another four-year-old girl survived with multiple stab wounds.
He said the suspect’s sister managed to run to safety with her one-year-old baby. The exact 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 were later voluntarily withdrawn,” said Netshiunda.
Just three weeks ago, the country was left in shock after 18 people were killed in a mass shooting in the Eastern Cape.
The Star