Durban – Armed with a bush knife and meat cleaver, an enraged Chatsworth man stormed the home of his in-laws, chopping and slashing them as well as his estranged wife and 7-year-old son.
He then slit his own throat.
While the family of Shalendra Singh, 38, prepares for his funeral, his wife, Denise Govender, 30, lies in a critical condition at RK Khan Hospital along with her father, Allan Govender, 57.
Her 54-year-old mother, Reena and son Sohail Singh have since been discharged.
The attack, similar to scenes from a horror movie, sent shock waves through the community.
With tears in her eyes, Denise’s sister, Geraldine Govender, spent Monday afternoon mopping and cleaning streams of blood from the living room floor and walls of her family’s rented Westcliff home.
Geraldine and her two children were also in the house, but not harmed, although she said she was traumatised by what she had witnessed earlier that day.
“Denise and Shalendra met through the chat group Mxit and when my family first met him he seemed like a good person and he treated her well. But over the years he started to change and he became abusive, possessive and at times threatened to shoot her and Sohail,” she told POST.
Geraldine said her sister was afraid that her son would get hurt and in March last year she left Shalendra.
Denise Govender, 30, lies in a critical condition at RK Khan Hospital. Picture: Supplied
“She obtained a protection order against him in April and police had confiscated his gun as well. He had a peace order against my sister. Denise tried to maintain a fairly good relationship with him because of Sohail.”
Geraldine said he was allowed to see the child but not to see or come into contact with Denise.
“I was basically the mediator and Shalendra would contact me via WhatsApp or call me when he wanted to see Sohail. Every weekend I would drop Sohail off at Shalendra’s house and I would pick him up. He was never kept away from his son.
“On Monday I was seated in my parents’ bedroom with my 7-year-old daughter, Dinikha, and my father. He was sick so I was rubbing his back. Denise, my mom, Sohail and my older daughter, Mayushka, were in the living room.”
Through the bedroom window she saw Shalendra open the driveway gate and enter the yard.
“He walked through the front door where my mom and Denise were standing. The next thing I heard were their screams. I looked into the living room and all I could see was Shalendra waving around a large knife, which looked like a bush knife, at them.”
He cut her mom’s ears and slashed her neck and head, she said.
Allan and Reena Govender Picture: Supplied
“Denise was chopped on the neck, back, hands and head. Sohail was injured on his hands and neck. My mom, Denise, Sohail and Mayushka then ran into the toilet. He (Shalendra) went into our kitchen and took out a chopper (meat cleaver) from our cupboard and came for me and my father.”
She said with the meat cleaver he took a swing at her father, injuring his face and hands.
“He then turned his attention to my younger daughter Dinikha. I grabbed her and he tried to attack me.
“Luckily, my father came to my aid and fought with him, giving me and my daughter a chance to run out of the house to alert neighbours as to what was happening.
“They locked us up in their home and contacted the police. Shalendra came out of the house in search of me and my daughter; this gave everyone else a chance to flee.”
Geraldine said in the chaos Mayushka was still in the yard and when Shalendra returned to the home he chased after her.
“She ran to the back of the property and scaled our wall in search of safety. Shalendra went back into our house.
“He closed the gate and used one of the knifes to slit his throat. He was found by police in a pool of blood semi-concious. He later died in hospital. “It was like he was another person. He did not care who he hurt. He just wanted all of us dead.
“He came to our home with the intention of wiping us out and killing himself. That’s obvious because he had a note in his pocket with the contact numbers of his brother and sister.” She added: “I don’t know what triggered this attack but all l can do now is pray that everyone pulls through.”
Describing the incident as “horrific”, a neighbour, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: “I was taking a nap and suddenly heard the women screaming.
“I ran to my door and saw the family outside the home covered in blood. It was a horrible sight. I could not believe something like this would happen in our neighbourhood.”
Singh’s family declined to comment. Police spokeswoman Captain Nqobile Gwala said police would investigate a case of attempted murder