Family tragedy under investigation near Kwaggafontein
Police are investigating a case of murder after a husband burnt and killed his wife and two minor children.
The Kwaggafontein police are investigating a case of three counts of murder and an inquest docket was opened in Boekenhouthoek on Friday, October 24.
This follows after a 37-year-old suspect allegedly killed his wife, Thembisile Mashiyane (32), and their two children, Bokamoso (7) and Karabo Ngele (4), whose bodies were found at Zithabiseni Bridge.
The Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, said the SAPS received information from the suspect’s uncle early on Friday morning, who said his nephew confided in him that he had killed his wife and children by setting them alight inside a vehicle at Zithabiseni Bridge.
Officers went to the scene and found a severely charred vehicle containing the burnt remains of three individuals.
A further tip-off led SAPS to the suspect’s grandparents’ home in Boekenhouthoek, where the officers found him with foam coming out of his mouth. They called emergency services, but the man was declared dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations indicate that he ingested poison.
The provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, urged anyone experiencing abuse or distress to report it to law enforcement or social-services resources.
