Overview
- Seven relatives were abducted from their Newark home during a Tuesday night break-in, driven about 200 km to Melmoth, and later killed by shooting and stabbing.
- Investigators say the suspects forced victims to reveal banking details and moved cash through transfers and withdrawals from the victims’ accounts.
- Police have arrested three suspects, recovered 11 cellphones, and say one of the men had worked for the family.
- Premier Thami Ntuli visited the family to convey condolences on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa and pledged to seek harsh sentences.
- More than 2,000 soldiers are already supporting police in crime-hit areas, with Ntuli weighing army deployment to hotspots such as Durban’s Point and urging residents to report crimes and illegal guns.