Woman beheaded in her home, cousin arrested

THE community of KwaMashu, north of Durban, has been left in shock following the discovery of a woman’s decapitated body inside her burning home.

Police confirmed that firefighters responding to a blaze at a property in K-section on Thursday alerted officers after making the grim discovery. The body of Slindile Mkhize, 33, was found lying on her bed, while her head was later recovered in a bucket inside a backroom building occupied by her cousin, who has since been arrested.

According to relatives and neighbours, Mkhize and the suspect, who lived on the same property, had a strained relationship and frequently argued.

Mkhize’s sister, Smangele Mgwaba, said the family received urgent calls from neighbours alerting them to the fire.

“When we arrived, neighbours were already trying to extinguish the flames. Our cousin was also there, pretending to assist, but it was clear he was dragging his feet,” Mgwaba said.

She said when questioned about the main house keys, the cousin claimed he did not have them and also said he misplaced his key to the backroom. However, upon searching his pockets, neighbours found the keys.

“They rushed into the house and found Sli dead. At first, no one realised that her head was missing,” Mgwaba said.

“Later, someone opened a bucket in his backroom and found it inside.”

Police on the scene immediately arrested the suspect.

Mgwaba explained that the house was a family property, although most of the older relatives, including herself, now live elsewhere, as all of them are married.

“In fact, there were three of them staying there, but the third one has a drug problem and is rarely home. It was mostly the two of them on the property,” she said.

She added that the incident occurred three weeks after Mkhize had obtained a protection order against the suspect, following an argument that escalated to an assault on the deceased.

“They could no longer live together. She stayed in the main house while he occupied the backroom,” said Mgwaba.

She suspects her sister was killed on Wednesday before the fire was started in an attempt to destroy evidence.

“Given the brutality of the act, we believe drugs may have played a role. We are devastated as a family.”

Neighbours said the pair had been embroiled in an ongoing dispute over ownership of the property.

The suspect reportedly claimed he inherited the house from their grandmother, while Mkhize maintained it was left to her by her late mother.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said the motive of the killing was has not yet been established, but the suspect would be appearing in court soon.

SUNDAY TRIBUNE