The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga have launched a murder and inquest investigation after the discovery of three burnt bodies inside a vehicle in the Boekehouthoek area near Kwaggafontein.
The grim discovery was made in the early hours of Friday, 24 October 2025. According to SAPS spokesperson Jabu Ndubane, the victims are believed to be 32-year-old Lucia Thembisile Mahiyane and her two children, Bokamoso (7) and Karabo Ngele (4).
Preliminary reports indicate that the 37-year-old husband and father allegedly confessed to his uncle that he had set the vehicle alight with his family inside near the Zithabiseni Bridge area. Following the confession, police traced him to his grandparents’ home in Boekehouthoek, where he was found foaming at the mouth.
Emergency services were called to the scene, but the man was declared dead. Investigators suspect he ingested poison shortly after committing the murders.
Major-General Zeph Mkhwanazi, the Provincial Commissioner of Police in Mpumalanga, strongly condemned the incident, stressing that domestic disputes and gender-based violence should never be resolved through violence but through lawful and counselling channels.
Authorities have opened three counts of murder and an inquest docket as investigations continue.
The case has reignited national concern over the rising cases of gender-based violence and family-related killings in South Africa.
At least two children and an adult have been killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen on their family residence in the Binduri District of the Upper East Region.
Gunmen Kill 2 Children, Others In Attack On Family Residence In Ghana
Source:Africa Publicity
