A Durban man who made international headlines when he "kidnapped" his two-year-old daughter in February, has shot dead her mother and then turned the gun on himself.
The couple were expected to meet today in court, where the man was on trial for failing to comply with a custody order and for possession of an unlicensed firearm.
The investigating officer in the kidnapping case, Lieutenant-Colonel Anton Booysen, was one of the first officers to arrive at the woman's Mount Edgecombe home, north of Durban, yesterday morning.
"I am shocked. I just cannot believe it. It seems so unreal," he said.
Booysen said neighbours had heard gunshots at 6am.
"When the police arrived on the scene, they found the woman's body in her main bedroom and the man's body there as well. The little child was in another room. When she saw me, she just jumped into my arms and held me tight," he said.
Booysen said the woman had had a protection order granted against her daughter's father and was clearly "afraid of him".
Police spokesman Captain Thulani Zwane said the woman was shot several times. The man was shot through the mouth.
As news spread of the murder-suicide, groups in memory of the woman were created on Facebook.
One, with more than 900 members, wrote in its description: "This was our friend's last Facebook status update: 'It's 1am and my daughter and I are having a picnic on my bed . I'm exhausted but this is such a special time!!' Glad you got to spend some special time with your daughter. You [are] in all our hearts ."
It is believed the child's grandmother, who lives in Australia, is on her way to South Africa to take care of the toddler.
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