Two people are in police custody after they allegedly hacked four people to death in separate incidents in Mayflower, Mpumalanga police said on Monday.
Captain Leonard Hlathi said in the first incident, a 35-year-old man handed himself over to the police on Sunday after he allegedly hacked his neighbour with an axe in a street last Tuesday.
The neighbour was walking in the street when she came across the man who allegedly asked her what she wanted from him before attacking her and leaving her head split into two and her brains scattered on the street.
The man is expected to appear in the Mayflower Periodical Court on Monday and was allegedly intending to confess to a charge of murder.
In the other incident, Boy Duba, 21, who was taken to Weskoppies for mental evaluation earlier last year after he allegedly went on a rampage with an axe and hacked three people to death, is back in police custody.
One of his alleged victims from the incident on March 22 last year was a three-month-old baby.
Nine other people, who also included a police officer assigned to arrest him, were also wounded during the incident.
Duba will also appear in the Mayflower Periodical Court on Wednesday on three counts of murder and nine of attempted murder.
Meanwhile, an alleged house robber was also hacked in his head with an axe on Sunday, but he survived.
The 30-year-old armed man allegedly entered a house with the intention to rob it.
He allegedly held up a woman at gunpoint inside the house and did not notice her husband escape through a window to alert their neighbours.
When the husband returned to the house with neighbours he struck the alleged robber in the head from behind.
The wounded man is expected to appear in court soon after he is declared healed. - Sapa