DURBAN – POLICE have arrested a 36-year-old man who allegedly gunned down six of his relatives at their home in Nkanini in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, at the weekend. A 9-year-old girl is the sole survivor of the massacre. She managed to hide herself away under a bed.
Provincial SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said the man is believed to have hacked his way into the house, using an axe.
"The suspect was armed with a pistol which he used to kill six members of the family, aged between 8 and 70 years of age. He fled the scene after the incident," Naicker alleged.
He said detectives managed to trace the suspect’s whereabouts this morning and he was found in Greytown.
“He was arrested and will be taken back to Eshowe where he will be detained for the murders. He is expected to appear in court soon, on six counts of murder,” he said.
Acting KZN MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Kwazi Mshengu has commended the police for their swift action.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the callous and cold-blooded murder of the six family members. However, we commend the police who immediately responded to the attack and now the suspect will have his day in court to answer for this horrendous crime. The latest crime statistics indicate that murder cases have increased by 10.4 percent and firearms are among the most common weapons used to commit crimes. We have tasked police to identify all crime hotspots in the province and deploy additional officers in order to beef up visibility. We will not allow a situation whereby citizens live in constant fear. The fact that a family was attacked in the comfort of their own home is a serious concern," he said.
MEC Mshengu expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. He reiterated that the Provincial Government has a zero-tolerance stance towards all types of crime, more especially brutal killings.
IOL