Two men appear for deaths of four children whose left ears were cut off
Seven months after four children were stabbed to death at their rural homestead near Ncukeni on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast‚ two men appeared in court on Monday for the family massacre.
In September last year‚ the bodies of four children aged between four and 12 years old were found at their homestead.
Three of the bloodied bodies were found inside the home while the fourth had been dragged into the garden.
The jarring hallmark of the massacre was the haphazard removal of the left ear of each child.
Police made a breakthrough in the case last week with the arrest of their uncle‚ Ben Zimele Mbhele‚ 32‚ and his friend‚ 48-year-old Sibongiseni Nyawose.
Both men appeared in the Ramsgate Magistrate’s Court on Monday and were remanded in custody.
Both will appear in court again this week.
The KwaZulu-Natal Acting Provincial Commissioner‚ Major-General Bheki Langa‚ commended the investigating team for the arrests.
“We will ensure that a well-prepared docket is sent to court so that the accused can be prosecuted for these horrendous acts. The cruelty that was displayed during the killing cannot be explained as it was too vicious especially as it was committed by a relative who is expected to be the protector to these children‚” he said.