Ntuli hails swift police action in probe into KZN family mass murder

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli has described the brutal killing of seven family members from Newark as a tragedy that has shaken the entire province and the country at large.

He delivered an emotional address at the joint funeral of the slain family members in Kwadukuza on Saturday.

The victims, from one family, were kidnapped from their Newark home on Tuesday and later found dead in Melmoth, with the motive for their killing remaining unclear.

Ntuli praised the swift response by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and community members which led to the arrest of three suspects within 24 hours.

“Their collaboration in the search efforts reflects the very best of who we are as a society. People who do not turn away in times of crisis, but who stand together to protect and support one another,” Ntuli said.

Family spokesperson Mark Padayachee has urged the community to remember the seven beyond the violence of their deaths.

“But remembering them as people, fully, quietly, meaningfully, is the only thing left that cannot be taken away from them this morning. Seven lives that meant far more than that.”