Durban - Durban police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly killed his three children and stepdaughter on Tuesday.
The grim discovery of the 16-year-old girl was made in a bush in New Germany, west of Durban where she was found hanging from a tree late on Tuesday night.
Earlier in the day the body of her siblings, aged four, six and 10 were found hanging in their home in Wyebank.
The mother was left reeling last night when police broke the sad news to her.
It is suspected that her husband, who she is in the process of divorcing, killed the three children she had with him, and abducted her teenage daughter from a previous relationship from school.
Police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said: "The 16 years-old-girl was also last seen with her father after fetching her from school in Durban. A search was also conducted and her body was found hanging in the bushes in New Germany. Police are still searching for the suspect. A Murder case has been opened in Pinetown".
The children's mother, a teacher, left her Wyebank home for work in the morning, with her husband saying he was going to find another place to live.
On her way to work she stopped at the police station to report an argument they had had the night before.
She told the officers the argument had been “intense” and, suspecting something “bad” might happen, she needed to alert the police.
Later, while shopping for new padlocks, she received a call from her children’s school, saying that their father had come to fetch them.
The school called her because the children had always used school transport and had never been fetched by their parents.
The woman rushed to the school, but the children had already gone. She then drove back to the police station and asked officers to accompany her.
A neighbour said she received a call from the mother around 3pm, asking her to check if her children were at home.
The neighbour saw the children getting into the house and then heard loud music being played.
The gate was locked and the neighbour, unable to get into the house, called the mother and updated her on the developments.
A few minutes later the mother arrived with the police, who broke the lock on the gate and got in.
They found two children murdered in one room and the third in another room.
The youngest was 4 years old and in crèche while the others were in grades R (6 years) and 5 (10 years).
The mother then rushed to fetch her eldest child from school, but was told on arrival that her stepfather had already fetched her.
Neighbour Cheryl Govender said she was devastated by the incident.
“We are shell-shocked and devastated by this incident,” she said.
A neighbour who would not be named said the incident had shocked her.
“Her children used to travel with my grandkids to school,” she said.
The neighbours described the husband as a quiet person who was polite, and the couple seemed to be in a loving relationship.
The man is yet to be arrested.