A man from Plumtree, reportedly struggling with mental health issues, unleashed a deadly attack on Wednesday afternoon, claiming the lives of five villagers and leaving the Bhelasi area in Madlambuzi devastated.
The terrifying incident occurred shortly after noon when the individual targeted an elderly couple’s home. Using logs as weapons, he fatally struck the husband while the wife was left critically injured and unconscious.
The violence did not stop there. The assailant then proceeded to a nearby residence, where he brutally killed three female relatives—a mother, her daughter, and a 15-year-old niece. A teenage boy managed to escape by running away and survived the ordeal.
Following the boy’s escape, the attacker encountered a woman washing clothes at a community dam and attacked her, resulting in her death. “This tragedy has deeply shocked and broken our community,” expressed Ward 11 Councillor Siphosenkosi Moyo.
The brutal killings caused widespread panic, with villagers securing their homes as others assisted police in a search that ended with the suspect’s capture several hours later.
Police spokespersons have deferred inquiries to higher authorities, and the national police spokesperson was unavailable for comment.
The once peaceful village now faces profound sorrow and fear as families prepare to mourn multiple losses from one of the most harrowing murder incidents recorded in Bulilima district.
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