Man arrested after stabbing five family members

Bergville police have arrested a 33-year-old man, just hours after a brutal attack that left five family members dead and two others injured in the Bethany area Saturday evening.

The quick arrest followed an intelligence-led operation led by the station commander, which enabled authorities to quickly locate and arrest the suspect. According to the South African Police Service (SAPS), the suspect and his uncle had visited a neighbor the previous evening. When they returned, the suspect found his mother sitting in the living room with several others.

The suspect reportedly grabbed a knife from the couch and attacked his mother, who managed to escape the house despite being seriously injured. The suspect then turned on his uncle, who was fatally injured while trying to escape. The violence continued as the suspect killed two young girls, aged two and six.

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“The bloodthirsty suspect also stabbed and killed a disabled woman and an elderly woman who was visiting the house,” police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda said. The suspect’s mother and a four-year-old girl survived but suffered multiple stab wounds.

Colonel Netshiunda added that the suspect’s sister managed to escape with her one-year-old baby. Authorities are still working to verify the ages of some of the victims.

Preliminary investigations revealed that several cases of domestic violence had already been reported against the suspect, but all of them were later voluntarily withdrawn.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in Bergville District Court on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. There he is accused of five counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.