Bergville police arrested a 33-year-old man a few hours after he stabbed and killed five family members and injured two more in the Bethany area of Bergville last night (October 12).
Reports indicate that the suspect and his uncle went to visit neighbours and on their return, the suspect found his mother sitting in the lounge with other people. The suspect allegedly took a knife from the couch and stabbed his mother, who managed to run out of the house.
Thereafter, he turned his attention to his uncle, who was killed in the passage while trying to flee to the neighbours. The suspect then went on to stab and kill two young girls, aged two and six years old. The bloodthirsty man also stabbed and killed a woman who was living with a disability, as well as another elderly woman who had visited the house.
The mother and a four-year-old girl survived with multiple stab wounds.
The suspect’s sister managed to run to safety with her one-year-old baby. The exact ages of the other victims are yet to be verified.
Preliminary investigations have confirmed that the suspect had several domestic-violence-related cases open against him. However, all of them were later voluntarily withdrawn.
Police in KwaZulu-Natal launched a massive manhunt for the killer and it wasn’t long before they had their man in custody.
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The man is expected to appear in the Bergville Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (October 15), facing five counts of murder and two of attempted murder.
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