This was the last voice message KZN mom who killed her two children and herself sent to her mother.
Durban – A voice message saying “I’m sorry for what I’m about to do” is all Gloria Nyawuza was left by her daughter, who murdered her young children and then took her own life on Monday morning.
The Nyawuza family and the Mhlasini community in Verulam are shocked and confused by the decision of Nonhle Nyawuza, 33, to hang her children, Khwezi, 18 months, and Lwandile, 4, before hanging herself.
She used bed sheets to hang the children and herself.
The unemployed mother of four lived with her mother and her four children.
Her older daughters, Luthando, 10, and Akhona, 12, survived, apparently after she had fed them poison and then sent them to a local shop.
The two girls found their mother and two siblings dead when they returned home from the shop.
Area councillor Fakazi Mdletshe said when he got to the scene, none of the community members wanted to talk because they were traumatised.
“It’s normal for people to commit suicide here, but an incident of this nature is a first. Everyone is shocked. Even though we don’t know the motive behind it, what could it have to do with the children?” he asked.
“This is the kind of thing you cannot forgive or forget. My interview with the mother of the deceased painted a somewhat disturbing and confusing picture about what must have led to the tragedy.
“In the voice note she sent to her mother, she just apologised, without giving any detail. She (the mother) received the voice note before 11am.
“We also learnt that the children were not attending school and that, from time to time, there would be an exchange of words in the home between mother and daughter because she (Nonhle) was receiving child grants yet she was not taking the older children to school. We have a Back-to-school campaign that we do before schools re-open, so we don’t know how these kids could have been left out of the programme,” he said.
Mdletshe said Nonhle left home last week for a week and, on her return, heard from her mother that someone had been there to collect R400 she owed.
He said a social worker had attended to the two older children on Tuesday and they were later taken to hospital for medical attention.
Ayanda, Nonhle’s brother, said they were yet to learn the reason for his sister’s actions. He said the voice note sent to their mother provided no explanation and shed no light on her actions.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) said a resident arrived at their headquarters at about 12pm to report the incident after the two daughters found the bodies.
In a statement, Rusa’s Prem Balram said his officers found Nonhle lying on the floor and the two little boys on the bed.
“The bed sheets were still tied around their necks. The television in the living room was turned on,” he said.
Balram said Luthando and Akhona told the officers their mother had forcefully fed them all tablets resembling Rattex.
The girls were taken to the hospital for medical attention. They were later reported to be recovering well, he said.
“Upon hearing the two girls screaming, residents ran to the home and cut down the three. Medics then assessed the medical condition of the two emotional children, who were being counselled by female officers,” said Balram.
Daily News
