South Africa: Police officer kills six people, including three children

On Sunday, a police officer in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal (east) killed six people, including three children, including his five-year-old son, South African authorities said on Monday.

“The man had first killed and set his colleague on fire before fleeing in his official vehicle,” said the spokesperson for the Independent Police Investigations Directorate (IPID), Grace Langa.

She added that the suspect “then shot dead his five-year-old son, a 34-year-old relative and her children aged 5 and 13. He also shot his wife, who was seriously injured”.

The man then approached another security guard and shot him dead, she continued, noting that the suspect was later killed in a clash with members of the response team special.

Insecurity remains one of the serious problems tarnishing South Africa’s image. A recent report by the global polling group “Gallup” ranked South Africa the fifth most dangerous country globally.

On average, South Africa records 58.4 murders per day, or a rate of 35.8 murders per 100,000 population, according to the latest population census.