Durban — Three women died after the house they were in was allegedly set alight on Monday, in KwaNyuswa on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
Two children escaped from the burning home while another child is being treated for burn wounds in a Durban hospital.
According to a family member, Wakhe Nzama, his late brother’s wife, daughter and daughter-in-law died in the incident.
Nzama said the incident happened in the early hours of Monday morning where unknown men locked the family members inside and set the house alight. Nzama said the family does not know what the motive is.
In a chilling twist, Nzama revealed that just a month prior, police confiscated two of his brother’s licensed firearms, while another unlicensed weapon was found in his possession. His brother had been released on bail following his court appearances, a situation that hinted at a spiral of violence already enveloping the family.
“What worries us is that my brother was killed a few days after his two licensed guns were taken by police. We believe that the killers knew that my brother’s guns were taken, which was why they were so brazen in their attack,” he said, highlighting the tragic convergence of police action and rising community violence.
The scars of past violence linger in the village, with Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality’s ward 34 councillor Khulekani Nzama expressing his shock at the brutal nature of this incident.
“The entire village is still reeling in shock since such incidents were last seen during faction fighting and political violence in the area years ago,” he noted, indicating a deep-rooted concern for the safety of residents
In response to the incident, police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that Ezinqoleni police have launched investigations into the cases of murder and arson.
As authorities work to unearth the reasons behind this tragic event, the community continues to rally together, determined to support one another in the face of such profound grief and fear.
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Daily News