Durban — The morning after a 29-year-old man allegedly killed a grandmother, a mother and her child, he was seen leaving the family’s home casually, with no indication that he had ended the lives of the three dead relatives.
This was according to a source who said that the man had allegedly been drinking at the home of the deceased, Zanele Ndlela, 65, her daughter Simangele Ndlela, 46, and 8-year-old granddaughter Zenande Ndlela.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that a relative walked into the home to find his three family members lying on the floor at their residence with bruises and strangulation marks on their necks.
She said that the murders occurred on Monday night on Dube Drive, Sobantu, in Pietermaritzburg.
“Mountain Rise police opened a docket with three counts of murder and two counts of rape for investigation.
“While at the scene, police questioned people in the area and the information they received led them to the house of a 29-year-old man, who was last seen with the victims. They proceeded to the man’s residence in the hope of getting more information to assist with the investigation.
“They were stunned to allegedly find the man in blood-stained clothes. He failed to provide police with a satisfactory response for the blood stains on his clothing. He was arrested and charged with three counts of murder and two counts of rape,” Ngcobo said.
A community member said on Sunday night the man arrested for the murders, a stranger to the family but known in the community, allegedly arrived at the family’s home with two other people which included a friend of Simangele.
It is alleged that they all consumed alcohol together until late on Sunday, and since the man arrested for the murders had apparently become better acquainted with Simangele he allegedly stayed behind when the others left.
According to the community member, the drinking continued after this, as it had allegedly been agreed that the man would be sleeping over.
On Monday, neighbours checked up on them and assumed that they were still asleep as there was no blood visible.
It is also alleged that on that morning, people asked the arrested man where he was coming from and he told them that he was coming from the home of the deceased and that they had been drinking all night.
The community member said it was not until later on Monday that it was discovered that the three were not asleep, but dead.
It is alleged that while the girl and her mother had no injuries, the grandmother had one on her forehead, pointing to the fact that she could have been hit with a blunt object.
The Daily News has established that, while police were a yet to confirm it, it has been alleged that the arrested man was on parole after a murder conviction.
KwaZulu-Natal social development MEC Nonhlanhla Khoza described the attack as “barbaric” and sent her heartfelt condolences to the Ndlela family following the loss of their three family members.
She said that a team of social workers was dispatched to the family to provide support. Khoza urged law enforcement agencies to ensure that all culprits involved in the abuse, rape and murder of women and children were brought to book.
“As the nation, we cannot continue like this where women and children are murdered daily. We all have a responsibility to protect the vulnerable. As communities, we all need to ensure that we fight the scourge of gender-based violence,” she said.
Khoza said that communities should stand together to isolate those involved in child abuse, rape and gender-based violence.
“We call on all sectors of society to join forces with the government to fight social ills and build solid foundations in which women and children are free and safe,” the MEC said.
The suspect is expected to appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court soon.
Daily News