Acting KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Kwazi Mshengu has commended the police for their swift action following the arrest of a suspect who shot and killed six family members in cold-blood in their homestead in Eshowe and fled the scene.
Preliminary reports have revealed that at approximately 11pm on Saturday evening, the suspect entered the house and called all members of the Khumalo family together. This had happened after the suspect allegedly forcefully opened the door with an axe which was found inside the house. The suspect had a Pistol which he used to kill the six members of the family aged between 8 years-old to 70 years-old. The only survivor was a 9 year-old-child who had hidden herself at the house during the attack, who after the killing she cried until she fell asleep.
The suspect was arrested today and is expected to appear in court soon.
MEC Mshegu, who was outraged by this heinous crime, praised the police for responding swiftly in arresting the suspect linked to the gruesome murder.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the callous and cold-blooded murder of the six family members. However, we commend the police who immediately responded to the attack and now the suspect will have his day in court to answer for this horrendous crime. The latest crime statistics indicate that murder cases have increased by 10.4 percent and firearms are among the most common weapons used to commit crimes. We have tasked police to identify all crime hotspots in the province and deploy additional officers in order to beef-up visibility. We will not allow a situation whereby citizens live in constant fear. The fact that a family was attacked in the comfort of their own home is a serious concern,” said MEC Mshengu.
MEC Mshengu expressed his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased. He reiterated that the Provincial Government has a zero-tolerance stance towards all types of crime, more especially brutal killings.
