A wanted man, sought by the police for the alleged rape of his 16-year-old daughter avowedly shot and killed his wife, her visiting niece, and injured his teenage daughter before he turned the gun on himself.
The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba, condemned the incident in which the 43 year-old man on Monday evening, July 6, reportedly shot two people and attempted to murder a third, his 16-year-old daughter.
The incident occurred at Malungane Village next to Namakgale, Phalaborwa at around 21:00 and according to our sources 11 shots were fired before the man left the scene and later killed himself.
According to the police the suspect who was employed at Palabora Mining Company, was sought by members of the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit (FCS) after his daughter, whom he shot and injured, had earlier opened a rape case against him.
In a convoluted narrative, the daughter visited her father in mid-June at Palesa Section, where he was now residing with his brother, for her to learn how to drive using her father’s car. According to the police after the father-daughter driving lessons, they reportedly went to Namakgale complex before heading back to the father’s residential area where the rape is alleged to have taken place.
The police also highlighted the fact that the rape case was only reported on the 6th of July, 24 days after the incident apparently took place. At the crime scene of last night’s shooting, the deceased’s licensed 9mm pistol was found and confiscated by the police.
“As the province is currently fighting the scourge of Gender Based Violence, incidents of this nature, where a man rapes his daughter and then goes on to commit horrendous crimes against the vulnerable members of the society, must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” concluded General Ledwaba.
The Limpopo MEC for Social Development, Nkakareng Rakgoale, said that she was upset about what had occurred. She has called on men to stand up and end the killing and abusing of vulnerable people of the society.
“It is time for all of us to stand up and say enough is enough. We cannot continue to always talk about women and children attacked by men who are supposed to love and protect them. These senseless killings are not just statistics but human beings who also have a right to life.”
“We simply cannot take it anymore. The behavior displayed by perpetrators of GBV is barbaric, for the lack of a better word. I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of the murdered women, and I wish a speedy recovery to the injured girl,” stated the MEC.
She also stated that Social workers had been dispatched to the area to start providing psychosocial support to the families, the survivor and other affected people. The MEC is currently in Phalaborwa visiting the survivor and addressing the community on the importance of preventing gender-based violence.
