KZN man in court for alleged murder of parents

It is alleged the suspect told his uncle that his parents were away on holiday.


A 21-year-old man is expected to appear in court this week after his parents were discovered murdered in their family home in Centenary Park, Phoenix, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The gruesome discovery of the bloodied bodies of his parents, who were in their fifties, was made by the mother’s brother on Monday, Phoenix Sun reported.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said it is believed the suspect stayed in the house with the dead bodies until the discovery was made on Monday afternoon.

The victim’s brother went to visit them after he had not been able to contact both his sister and her husband for days. It is alleged that the suspect, on previous occasions, when asked about the whereabouts of the two victims, told his uncle that his parents were away on holiday.

“The uncle was worried, so he went to the home in Centenary Park on Monday afternoon. He reportedly asked his nephew to open the gate and the suspect refused and fled the scene.

“The uncle then proceeded to jump over the gate to gain access to the house. It was then that he got a foul smell emitting from the house. He then entered the house and made the gruesome discovery of his murdered sister and her husband,” said Phoenix police communications officer Captaiin L Naidoo.

She said investigators were still in the process of discovering what weapon was used to commit the murder as the bodies were in a state of decomposition.

“A close friend and neighbour of the family, Raj Mayalal, told the Phoenix Sun that he was shocked by the incident.”

“I cannot understand what happened in that house. The husband, who is an ex-police reservist, had his own business that he used to run from home, but recently he had become bed-ridden,” Mayalal said.

He added, “They were a very quiet family. We have been trying to get a hold of the family since last Wednesday because we were worried because we had not seen them for a while. The cellphone was going straight to voicemail and the house and front gate was locked. It was only on Monday, then the uncle discovered the bodies that we knew what had happened.”

The motive for the murder is unknown at this stage and investigations are ongoing.

– Caxton News Service

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