Son hacks father with pick-axe

NGOLOLWENI – A normal working day for a family at the heart of rural Ngololweni suddenly transformed into a chilling scene of tragedy.
A father, aged 64, was allegedly murdered by his own son (32) right in front of his shaken mother. The crime committed at the height of an escalating domestic dispute took place within the family compound, where the father and son were engaged in what should have been a bonding activity – one of the family errands.
Ngololweni is situated about 35km to the south of Hlatikulu, under Sandleni Constituency and the incident unfolded around 4pm on Thursday.
A disagreement ignited by what the father perceived as disloyalty on the son’s part, after he had aided one of his uncles who is not in good terms with the elderly man, culminated into unimaginable violence. An eye witness alleged it was the father who started the whole fracas when he tried to bludgeon his son with a knobkerrie.
This apparently led into the son retaliating by attacking the father with a pick-axe he randomly picked up from the ground while running away from the aggressor. Overcome by a fit of rage, the son reportedly seized the pick-axe and sank its sharp edges multiple times on his advancing father’s head, ultimately leading to the latter’s tragic death.
A hurried call brought police officers to the scene. However, by the time when the men in blue arrived at the homestead it was already too late. The victim could not make it. The officers arrived at the scene towards 7pm and found the deceased’s unresponsive body lying in a pool of blood. The body had no pulse, according to a witness, and the man was declared dead at the scene.
The tragedy unfolded right under the watch of the deceased’s shocked wife, who also happens to be the mother of the alleged attacker. The woman was inconsolable when the Independent News tried to solicit an interview later on the same night. A relative only spoke on her behalf, saying she requested for some time to digest what had just taken place.
“She is crying and cannot be in a position to help you at the moment. It’s all about what has just happened, she is grieving,” said the grief-stricken relative.
Community members who reacted after they heard the commotion were left shattered. The incident attracted a number of onlookers who converged to the homestead while investigators were processing the crime scene. A pick-axe was among pieces of evidence which were confiscated by investigators.
The suspect was apprehended on the same evening. He was taken to the Hlatikulu Police Station, where he was detained and subsequently charged for the murder of the 64-year-old man.
He is awaiting his initial court appearance at the Nhlangano Magistrates’ court.
The arrest was confirmed by Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni, when approached for comment. She said a 32-year-old man was helping detectives with information to aid their investigation.
A Clinical Psychologist who was approached by the Independent News expressed strong condemnation of the violent act, urging people to seek professional help in times of crisis.
“Violence can never be part of a solution to any problem. There is always someone to talk to whenever there is something troubling you,” said the expert.