Mthatha - Three people were hacked and stabbed to death in their sleep in Ndlunkulu locality near Mthatha, Eastern Cape police said on Monday.
The bodies of two women, aged 77 and 73, and a 36-year-old man were discovered by a relative around 7am. The relative lived in a separate house in the same yard, Lt-Col Mzukisi Fatyela said.
He had gone to the family's home to visit in the morning.
“We strongly believe that it is a witchcraft-related killing,” Fatyela said.
Police believed five boys were responsible. They had allegedly disappeared into a nearby forest after the crime.
Fatyela said one boy had been brought in for questioning.
“Although he might not have been part of the killings, he was with the boys that committed the killings,” he said.
The knives and axe used in the attack have not been recovered.
The group of five was still at large.
Sapa