JUST IN: Trio arrested for kidnapping and murder of seven family members in KZN
· Citizen
Three suspects have been arrested for the kidnapping and murder of seven family members from a house in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
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The suspects were handcuffed by police in Newark, working with KwaDukuza Detectives, the Provincial Counter-intelligence and Kidnapping Unit, and the Provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Unit on Thursday.
Kidnapping and murder
It is understood that the victims were kidnapped from a house in Newtown, Newark, on Tuesday night, 21 April 2026, and later killed that night in Melmoth.
According to police, a maid who worked for the victims arrived at the house on Wednesday morning, 22 April, and found it broken into, with seven people and a vehicle missing.
Arrests
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Newark police were summoned and multiple units were activated.
“Swift police investigations led them to Hlomendlini area where two suspects were arrested. One was found in possession of a cellphone belonging to one of the kidnapped victims. Information directed police to the Dendetu area in Sundumbili, where the third suspect was arrested with a firearm. A total of eleven cellphones were found in possession of the suspects,” Netshiunda said.
Investigations revealed that one suspect worked for the victims. He and his accomplices allegedly tied them up, raped a 20‑year‑old woman, and loaded them into a victim’s vehicle before driving 200km to Melmoth.
Rape
Police said the same suspect raped her again in Melmoth before demanding banking details and PINs from three victims.
“After collecting the banking details, the suspects shot and killed three victims. The other four victims were brutally stabbed to death. Several bank transfers were made from the victims’ accounts. The suspects led police to Melmoth, where bodies of the seven victims, aged between 20 and 83, were found,” Netshiunda said.
The suspects, aged 21, 26 and 28, will appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 24 April.
Links to other crimes
Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi commended the swift arrests.
“Some crimes are difficult to prevent, but the police’s reaction capacity must be equal to the task. It is worrisome that one of the suspects was employed by the victims.
“Employers must do background checks and study suspicious behaviour. Police will leave no stone unturned in the quest for a maximum jail sentence,” Mkhwanazi said.
He added that police will analyse all evidence to determine if the suspects are linked to other cases in the province.