The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Mpumalanga have opened a murder and inquest investigation following the discovery of three charred remains inside a burnt-out vehicle.
The vehicle was discovered in the early hours of on Friday, 24 October 2025, in the Boekehouthoek area near Kwaggafontein.
According to police spokesperson Jabu Ndubane, the bodies are believed to be those of a 32-year-old woman, identified as Lucia Thembisile Mahiyane and her two children, Bokamoso and Karabo Ngele, aged 7 and 4.
The suspect, aged 37, allegedly admitted to his uncle that he had k!lled his wife and children by setting them alight inside the vehicle at the Zithabiseni Bridge area.
Upon receiving the tip-off, police located the suspect at his grandparents’ home in Boekehouthoek.
He was foaming at the mouth and an ambulance was called, but he d!ed at the scene.
Preliminary investigation suggests that he ingested poison following the k!llings.
Major-General Zeph Mkhwanazi, Provincial Commissioner of Police in Mpumalanga, condemned the act in the strongest terms, emphasising that domestic conflict and gender-based violence must be addressed through legal and counselling channels not violence.
The case adds to the ongoing national concern over gender-based violence and family homicides in South Africa.
Investigators have opened cases of three counts of murder plus an inquest docket.