Four people have been burnt to death beyond recognition in a horrific incident in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
It is understood that the incident occurred in the Umthata area of Inanda, north of Durban, on Saturday, 15 November 2025.
The community woke up to the grim discovery on Sunday.
Murder
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said they are investigating four counts of murder after the four people were found burnt to death inside two vehicles.
“Police responded to reports of two vehicles which were burnt, and upon arrival at the scene, police found one body burnt beyond recognition inside a Nissan NP200, and three other bodies were found inside a Toyota Rumion, also burnt beyond recognition.
“Police also found three carcasses of cattle next to the NP200 vehicle,” Netshiunda said.
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Motive
Netshiunda said the motive of the killings is unknown at this stage.
“Police suspect that the incident could be related to stock theft. The process to identify the victims is underway, and a search for the suspects is ongoing.”
Girlfriend burnt
Earlier this month, police arrested a 48-year-old man for a series of heinous crimes against his family in KZN.
The man was handcuffed by the Vryheid K9 and Hlobane police officers a few moments after he allegedly burned his 41-year-old girlfriend to death, and hacked her 28-year-old daughter with an axe before raping her 13-year-old daughter.
Netshiunda said that the incidents occurred at Shanelweni Reserve in the Ngome policing precinct in the early hours of Thursday, 6 November 2025.
Rape
He said reports indicated that a 13-year-old girl was asleep with her elder sister when the incident happened.
“The brave girl attempted to intervene, but the axe-wielding man stopped assaulting her sister and dragged the 13-year-old out of the house. As he was dragging her, she noticed smoke coming from the room where her mother was sleeping.
“The suspect dragged her to the nearby bushes where he raped her, before releasing her just before dawn,” Netshiunda said.
Netshiunda added that the suspect was charged with murder, attempted murder, as well as rape.
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