Their throats were cut with a sharp object – both a knife and a hammer were found next to their lifeless bodies.
The police in Mpumalanga have called on members of communities to come out and ask for help when faced with domestic hardships after a mom found her man had cut off the throats of their three kids.
The children, one aged 3, the other 6 and 11, were found dead in their home in the Breyten township of Phosa on Monday this week after the man went to fetch them from school early.
After butchering the children, the man then tried to commit suicide by throwing himself under a moving train.
Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said he got seriously injured and was under police guard in hospital.
“A preliminary investigation suggested that the children were murdered in a senseless manner in which their throats were slit. Police were called to the scene after the mother of the children who was at work found the shocking scene on her return,” Hlathi said.
“The sequence of events suggested that the father collected the children from school and allegedly murdered them. He then texted a message to the mother informing her that he had murdered the children and was going to end his life,” Hlathi said.
He said afterwards the news of a man who had thrown himself under a moving train broke out and was discovered that it was the same man who sent the sms to the woman.
“The police in Mpumalanga are calling on community members to seek professional help when experiencing hardships,” Hlathi said.
(edited by MLM)
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