An eight-year-old girl has died after she was allegedly stabbed by her uncle, who later took his own life, in Kanana near Orkney in the North West.
Police are investigating a case of murder and an inquest after the incident on Monday.
North West police spokesperson Const Thuto Bobelo said the girl’s mother was at home with her two children when her 23-year-old brother stormed into the house.
“The man allegedly grabbed the eight-year-old girl and locked himself inside a bathroom with her,” said Bobelo.
The mother and her son reportedly ran outside to seek help and alerted a police patrol vehicle that was in the area. Police officers rushed to the house and, upon entering, heard the girl screaming from inside the locked bathroom.
“Officers forced entry into the bathroom, enabling the wounded child to escape. After the girl got out, the suspect locked himself inside the bathroom again,” Bobelo said.
Police then broke down the door and found the man with multiple stab wounds to his neck, chest and stomach. He was declared dead at the scene.
The girl, who had sustained several stab wounds to her neck, was taken to a local clinic but later died from her wounds.
The motive for the attack is unknown, and investigations are continuing.
Acting North West police commissioner Maj-Gen Ryno Naidoo described the incident as shocking and tragic.
“No child should ever become a victim of violence, particularly at the hands of a family member.”
Naidoo said the incident, which occurred a day before Youth Day, was a painful reminder that violence in homes and communities continued to claim innocent lives.
He urged families and communities to seek help when signs of emotional distress, conflict or abuse become apparent and stated that gender-based violence and other forms of domestic violence remained a societal crisis requiring a collective response.
TimesLIVE
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