Durban - Police Minister General Bheki Cele has lauded the arrest of a man, believed to have hacked his wife and five children to death in the Eastern Cape this week.
The 42-year-old mother and her children aged between 6 months and 10 years old were found dead in their home in Dabekweni, situated between Coffee Bay and Mthatha.
Police Ministry spokesperson Lirandzu Themba described the incident as a bloody start to the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children.
Thembu said the family were attacked and killed with an axe, believed to be the same weapon found at the crime scene.
Police then cast their net wide to find the husband of the deceased mother, who detectives thought could assist in their investigations.
Within 24 hours after the heinous crime, police arrested the husband, a Zimbabwean national.
“The 34-year-old man was in hiding at the time of his arrest and allegedly preparing to flee the country.
The minister has applauded the swift detective work. He has also made a call to communities:
“While it is the responsibility of the police to ensure that those who carry out such gruesome acts are arrested and dealt with by the laws of this country, however, such arrests only come after the fact, and in many instances it is after lives are destroyed and lost. So I am making a call to men: I urge you all to stop brutalising and violating women and children … it’s that simple.” Cele concluded.
IOL