The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube, Sunday News Reporter
A ZIMBABWEAN man allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend and four members of her family in South Africa last Monday after he allegedly found out that his girlfriend was reportedly cheating on him.
It is alleged that the man was in a relationship with the woman who was identified as Luyanda Malembe (20).
He is alleged to have gone to Luyanda’s residence in Madison Square in Hillbrow where he shot her, her two-year-old daughter, her seven-year-old younger brother, her mother and their maid. The killer is alleged to have shot his victims twice each in the head before fleeing the scene.
Sources claim that the suspect was serving time in jail but upon his release he learnt that his girlfriend (Luyanda) was now seeing another man.
“We heard that this man was in prison all along and when he was released, he found out that his girlfriend had been cheating on him. It is said out of rage he then forced his way into where Luyanda was staying, killing everyone who was at the house,” said the source.
However, South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson, Captain Mavela Masondo while confirming the shootings, could neither confirm nor deny that the suspect was Zimbabwean.
“We received reports on the shooting and we learnt that five people were murdered, but those people who were murdered were all South Africans. To date we are still investigating the matter but haven’t made any arrests hence we cannot confirm the nationality of the killer, we will release the name and nationality of the suspect as soon as we get something concrete,” said Captain Masondo.
However, according to social media claims that are doing rounds in the neighbouring country and in the streets of Bulawayo it is alleged the killer and the murdered people were all Zimbabweans who had since acquired South African citizen status.
According to South Africa’s New Age newspaper a neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity said he saw the suspect who is alleged to be Luyanda’s boyfriend leaving the building.
“I saw him leaving the building but I did not think that he could have just killed people,” the neighbour is quoted as saying.
Joshua Baloyi the caretaker is also quoted saying the incident happened at around 7.45pm on Monday when he was about to knock off. He said a sub-tenant is the one who reported to the tenant that he had found the family lying in a pool of blood.
“I called the police and tried to reach their father but I could not find him. When we went upstairs we found four bodies lying dead, Luyanda was still alive, she was shot in the head but later on died,” he said.
