Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza, has expressed shock and disgust at the brutal murder of two Grade 12 pupils at the weekend.
The two schoolgirls were allegedly attacked with an axe while they were in their rented house in Ngwangwane village, ward 8 in the Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Local Municipality (Creighton) in southern KwaZulu-Natal.
It is alleged that a man in his twenties came into the rented house in the early hours, hacked the girls to death and dismembered their bodies.
Reacting to the incident, Khoza said the attack on defenceless learners was abhorrent and a reflection of the worst form of criminality and decline of morals.
“It is very painful that we start Women’s Month with such a horrific incident. We find solace in the fact that law enforcement agencies quickly arrested the suspect, even though he tried to evade justice.”
The KZN Department of Social Development said the police arrested the suspect on Sunday afternoon.
He was taken to the scene on Monday afternoon by police but he jumped into a river and managed to escape.
“Police had to call for back-up from the dog unit, who traced the suspect and caught him hiding at a local St. Johns Apostolic Faith Mission church house,” said the department spokesperson, Mhlabunzima Memela.
The remains of one of the girls was found in the house, while the remains of the other girl was found 5km away from the scene.
Khoza extended her heartfelt condolences to the families of the two girls.
She said the department’s team would work with the families to provide them with psycho-social support and would extend their services to pupils and teachers at the schools the girls were attending.
“We owe it to the people of KwaZulu-Natal to ensure that people who behave worse than animals are put behind bars and face the full might of the law. They should be immediately removed from our midst and be put where they belong, in jail,” she added.
Ward 8 councillor in Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Local Municipality, Mthobisi Dlamini said the community was in shock after the horrible incident.
“We are so shocked by this and the community wanted to take the law into their own hands, but we managed to calm them. We are pleased that the father of the suspect had played a role in ensuring that his son got arrested,” said Dlamini.
He said that in his ward there were many pupils who came from neighbouring wards and municipalities and stayed in rented houses in order to be close to their schools.
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