Murder parolee arrested for brutal killing of three siblings in KZN
THE mayor of uMkhanyakude Municipality Sphile Mdaka, visited the Khumalo family in Lulwane village in Manguzi where three young sibilings were allegedly hacked to death by a man who was recently released on parole for another previous murder.
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A man alleged to have hacked three young siblings to death in Lulwane village in Manguzi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, had recently been released on parole for a previous murder conviction.
The victims, Kwanele Gumede, 15, Amanda Khumalo, 9, and 7-year-old Ayabonga Khumalo, were killed in what is believed to have stemmed from a dispute between the suspect and the children’s father, according to their grandfather, Jobe Khumalo.
FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Kwanele Gumede who was hacked to death with two of her siblings at their Manguzi home by a man who was out on parole.
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“At this stage, it is not clear what the dispute was about, as no one is willing to tell the family what led to this incident,” said Khumalo.
“What we know is that both the children’s father and the person who committed this act are in relationships with women who are siblings from the same family.”
NINE-YEAR-OLD Amanda Khumalo who was hacked to death with her siblings in the Lulwane village in Manguzi north of KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday.
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Khumalo described the scene as horrific, saying the family is struggling to come to terms with the brutality of the killings. All three victims were attacked with a bush knife.
“What he has done has caused us immense pain. Where the children were killed, dishes had to be used to fetch the blood. All the clothes were soaked in blood, and people were afraid to enter the room because of the state of the children’s bodies,” he said.
He added that the children’s mother is deeply traumatised and unable to explain what happened.
“She was away attending to her business when the incident occurred and had left the children alone at home. When she returned, she found them dead,” said Khumalo. “If he had found the parents at home, maybe he would have killed them too. He killed the children to hurt the parents, not because they were his targets.”
AYABONGA Khumalo, one of the victims of a brutal incident in the Lulwane village in Manguzi over the weekend. The uMkhanyakude Municipality mayor Sphile Mdaka visited the family to offer condolences and support.
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UMkhanyakude Municipality Mayor Sphile Mdaka visited the grieving family and condemned the killings, saying they highlight the ongoing crisis of violence against women and children.
“These incidents require urgent intervention. Violence in our communities continues unabated,” Mdaka said, urging police to act decisively against perpetrators.
“I have many questions for the person who did this. How does one begin to kill children without remorse? What kind of demon takes over a person to commit such an act?” he said.
“We are here because we feel the family’s pain and want them to know they are not alone. We are also appealing to the police to closely monitor the community, especially after discovering that the suspect’s home has been set alight.”
KwaZulu-Natal SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the suspect was arrested on Sunday and appeared in Manguzi Magistrates' Court on Monday.