Johannesburg - A 14-year-old boy was due to appear in court on Monday charged with murdering his family with an axe.
The boy is alleged to have killed his three-month-old sister, his seven-year-old brother, his mother and grandmother on Friday, but the murder weapon had still not been found at the time of publication.
His two sisters – aged eight and nine – managed to escape unharmed.
The brutal attack is believed to have happened at about 1am on Friday in the Barcelona informal settlement in Etwatwa, near Benoni.
“It is suspected the victims were attacked with an axe while they were sleeping in the same room,” said Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini.
He did not want to speculate on the boy’s motives.
“After they were attacked, the suspect ran away. His sisters alerted members of the community, and police immediately attended the scene,” he said.
Residents then helped the police to find the boy, who was arrested at about noon.
Community members told radio's Eyewitness News the murders may have been part of a satanic ritual.
The teen's family told the radio they have disowned the boy.
"Even now I can't cope, because I have to take the kids and they have to stay with me," an uncle said.
"There is no other family member. They are all dead."
Although the weapon had not been found, Dlamini said police were informed by the two sisters that their brother had used an axe to kill the rest of the family.
Because he is a minor, the boy is kept at a place of safety.
The Star and AFP