JUST IN | Fourth suspect arrested in Durban over Monswamy family massacre
Alan Monswamy, his wife Sandy, with their children Kraidon and Shamarie.
Image: Supplied
Hours after his alleged accomplices appeared in the KwaDukuza Magistrate's Court in connection with the Monswamy family massacre, a 24-year-old man was arrested in Durban on Tuesday.
The suspect had been on the run since April 21, when Alan Monswamy, 52, his wife, Sandy, 57, their children, Kraidon, 26, and Shamaria, 20, and relatives Gonosagren Padayachee, 51, Mooniamma Padayachee, 78, and Mariama Happanah, 83, were allegedly abducted from their home in Newtown, near Newark.
The group was allegedly taken to Melmoth, where they were killed.
Police tracked the suspect to Durban and arrested him on charges of murder, kidnapping and house robbery.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Col. Robert Netshiunda confirmed the arrest to IOL.
"The suspect will appear in the KwaDukuza Magistrate's Court soon," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, one of the accused, Bongumenzi Mpungose, 27, who also faces a rape charge, told the court he intended applying for bail.
"The Legal Aid attorney told the court that they would approach the court with a date for the application following consultation with the accused," National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.
The matter was postponed to July 31 for further investigation.
Mpungose, Linda Blessing Mthiyane, 28, and Mthandeni Luyanda Mthiyane, 21, face 17 charges linked to the massacre on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.
Following an intensive investigation involving multiple law enforcement units, the three suspects were arrested. Preliminary reports indicated that a domestic worker arrived at the family home the following morning and discovered that the property had been broken into, while the seven victims and a vehicle were missing.
Police also revealed that one of the accused had previously worked for the family.
The suspects later led investigators to Melmoth, where the bodies of all seven victims were recovered.
During a visit by KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli, relatives said Kraidon and his fiancée, Melissa, had celebrated their engagement with family and friends just days before they were killed.
Photographs and videos shared on social media showed Kraidon's mother escorting him into the venue. The pair were seen laughing as they walked inside.
Family members and guests danced together and wished the couple well for their future.
Days later, hundreds of mourners gathered at the Stanger High School sports ground for a mass funeral.
"We're all in a state of shock, and we're all really broken," Devendra Naidoo, Alan Monswamy's brother-in-law, told IOL at the time.
The case also reignited calls for the reinstatement of the death penalty, with hundreds of social media users demanding the harshest punishment for the accused.
Legal experts, however, warned that restoring capital punishment would face significant constitutional hurdles in South Africa.
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