[ad_1]
- The man suspected of killing an Eastern Cape mother and her five children has been arrested.
- Police said the 32-year-old man was arrested Thursday night in Ginsberg, King William’s Town.
- They suspect that he was preparing to flee South Africa.
The man accused of murdering an Eastern Cape mother and her five children with an ax Tuesday night was arrested.
Eastern Cape Police Commissioner Lt. Gen. Liziwe Ntshinga said the arrest came as a result of the swift action of a multidisciplinary team of investigators.
Ntshinga said the 32-year-old man was arrested Thursday night in Ginsberg, King William’s Town.
The gruesome discovery of the lifeless bodies of Nomzamo Mhlanti, 42, and his children – Azakhiwe, 10, Yibanathi, 8, five-year-old twins Wineka and Thoko, and six-month-old Luphumlo – was made by the elder of the dead mother. 16-year-old son Balungile Mhlanti on Wednesday morning, according to DispatchLive.
The arrest comes after Ntshinga ordered the immediate activation of the 72-hour plan to arrest the perpetrator.
Ntshinga said the plan had made the investigation team’s work easier.
Ntshinga added that investigators had received information that led them to a flat allegedly belonging to a relative of the defendant in Ginsberg, where they found and arrested the 32-year-old man who was hiding there.
Suspect ‘yet to be interviewed’
The suspect, who cannot be identified until his court appearance, is alleged to have escaped from the town of Dabekweni in Kwaaiman to seek refuge in King William’s Town.
In a statement, Ntshinga said:
Details on how he got to Ginsberg are still under investigation. The suspect has yet to be interviewed by detectives to establish a full truth behind the tragic ax murders of his wife and five children. At the time of the arrest, the suspect is believed to have been preparing to flee South Africa back to his home country.
“I am truly excited about this breakthrough by bringing in capable and competent detectives. Their sleepless nights of investigation have paid off. The suspect must now face the law.
“Crimes against women and children are one of the top priorities of the South African Police Service, so our communities must not only hear this, but must see its manifestations in the results of the work we do,” said Ntshinga.
Once indicted, the man is expected to appear before the Mqanduli Magistrates Court on Monday on murder charges.
Ntshinga has expressed gratitude to members of the public who supported the police investigations leading up to the arrest of the suspect.