The mayor sent her condolences, saying healing will take time but also counselling was important.
The mayor of eMalahleni, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, believes that counselling is important for the dad of the 3 children whose bodies and that of their mom were found in their home in a complex in Reyno Ridge, a week ago.
The husband, 40-year-old Mandla Mhlanga, who is a local psychologist and businessman, was still finding it hard to believe his family was gone.
Ntshalintshali said she met Mandla in person and found that he still thought he was merely having a dream.
“For him this is a dream. I’m seeing him, he’s still like ‘No, it’s a dream’ and he says that it’s not his family and I think that he needs serious attention, he needs professional counselling,” Ntshalintshali said.
She said she learnt of the death of Mandla’s wife and his three kids while she was out of the country on government duties through the social media and had to cut short her trip to come and give support to the family.
“We’re seeing eMalahleni mourning,” she said.
“We’re grieving because these things never happen in our community. They don’t happen, it’s something that we will never get used to and personally as a mother it has affected me a lot,” she said.
She said they have instances in eMalahleni where people are involved in violence and kill each other, “but today we’re seeing so many family members being buried in one grave. That’s abnormal”.
Ntshalintshali sat alongside Mandla holding his hand and comforting him throughout the burial at Kwa-Guqa’s Old Pretoria Road Memorial Park.
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“We are saying condolences and unfortunately the family must go through these pains and I know it will take time to heal,” she said.
Pearl Malang-Mhlanga and her three kids, 10-year-old Quanisha‚ 5-year-old Quirino and 7-month-old Quain were laid to rest at the Pretoria Road Memorial Park over the weekend after Pearl killed them and committed suicide a week ago.
The police were called to the house after the domestic worker failed to get a response from inside the house when she was reporting for duty.
They opened the door using a spare key from Pearl’s sister and found all four of them dead.
The couple had a troubled marriage and were in the process of divorcing, which is suspected to have been the reason Pearl decided to end her life and that of the children.
(edited by MLM)
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