An ANC activist grandmother and her two-year-old grandchild were brutally murdered in an attack in Nquthu on Tuesday.
Busisiwe MaSithole-Ntombela, a 63-year-old ANC activist, and her two-year-old grandchild were killed in a violent attack at their home in Nkobe village near Isandlwana.
The attackers broke into their house at 2 am, beat the family, and then locked them inside by tying the door with wire. They set the house on fire using paraffin.
The gogo’s 14-year-old granddaughter managed to escape through a window, injuring her hands and feet in the process. MaSithole-Ntombela also tried to escape through a window with the toddler, but the attackers caught them.
The killers beat the grandmother with stones until she fainted, then attacked her with an axe.
They also stabbed the toddler, who died on the way to Charles James Memorial Hospital.
“She was a nice and bubbly person who never hid anything if something was troubling her,” said a neighbour, who was too scared to be named.
MaSithole-Ntombela had been looking after her grandchildren while their mothers worked in Vryheid.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netsheunda said three suspects, aged 23, 37 and 40, have been arrested.
They appeared in the Nquthu Magistrate’s Court on Thursday and will apply for bail on 22 November 2024.
