Cele on triple murder, stop interfering with rumours on social media
A 45-year-old-suspect, who police said was known to the family, was arrested on Friday night and will appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has urged community members to avoid giving credence to rumours on social media following the murder of a mother and her two daughters in Phoenix, Durban on Friday.
Cele discouraged the community from “following stories,” particularly on social media about the killings. “You confuse the situation, you confuse the investigation. You give information that is not there and you begin to chase wild geese,” he said while on a visit to Phoenix, about 30km north of Durban, on Sunday afternoon.
Cele’s visit follows the deaths of 44-year-old Jane Govender and her daughters Rackelle, 16, and Denisha, 22. The women were killed in their Longcroft Drive flat on Friday morning. It is not yet clear how the three were killed.
Sagren Govindsamy, who is believed to have been married to Jane and was the father of one of the girls, found the bodies. An emotional Govindsamy was present in Phoenix on Sunday and was comforted by Cele.
A 45-year-old-suspect, who police said was known to the family, was arrested on Friday night and will appear in the Verulam Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The man faces three charges of murder.
“Some of the people [who use social media], they fight their own battles on social media. Others are criminals that are trying to [distort] the thinking line that police are trying to follow. Allow the police to do their work,” said Cele.
“I am very sure that in the not too distant future we will be able to explain what happened. For now we are passing our condolences to members of the family, to the community, and to South Africans at large. We are saying this must stop right now and here,” he said.
This is the second violent crime to take place in Phoenix that has made national headlines. Earlier this month, the badly decomposed body of nine-year-old Miguel Louw was also found in the suburb.
The child went missing near his Sydenham school in July, last seen in the company of a man who was known to the family. The suspect is set to appear in court again in October.
Source: News24
