Cape Town - Tears of disbelief and grief flowed in Kuils River
on Thursday after a father allegedly gunned down his entire family.
The young mother and her two daughters were killed in their home, before the man turned the gun on himself.
According to a police source, police responding to a report about shots being fired in Bardale Village got a fright when they found Pumla Mvinjelwa Ntombela, 33, lying dead in her doorway.
“The neighbours called the police because they heard screams and shots after 1am,” says the source.
“When they got to the house, they found the woman dead in the doorway.
“The door was open, but the security gate was locked and they had to break it open to get inside.
“They got a fright when they saw the whole family was dead.
“The two girls were lying in their beds with gunshot wounds in the head and the father was lying next to the bed, also dead.
“The father left a suicide note on the couch where he admitted to shooting the family, before turning the gun on himself and committing suicide.
“There were only four cartridges on the scene and the cops found his gun next to him.”
Sithembile Ntombela, 36. Picture: Supplied
Shortly after 9am, Pumla’s shocked family could be seen arguing with a private
security company who denied them access to the home, while the bodies had already been removed.
Brother Osmond Mvinjelwa, 47, says he was at work when he received the news and rushed to the site.
“They didn’t want to let us in, but our sister has died. She had two young daughters, Nhlanhla, 10, and Bajabulile who was only six, and they were also killed.
“Pumla, 33, and Sithembile Ntombela, 36, have been married for more than 10 years.”
Mvinjelwa says the family has been left traumatised by the amount of blood found in the house.
“There was blood everywhere you looked, we are very traumatised by this. We don’t know if they were having marital problems,” he said.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed the incident: “The circumstances surrounding the death of a family of four are being investigated following an incident during the early hours at a residence in Bardale Village, Mfuleni.
“It is suspected that the male person was responsible for their deaths. Three murder cases and a death inquest have been opened.”