Police in Mpumalanga have launched a murder and inquest investigation after the charred remains of a woman and her two children were found in a burnt-out vehicle in the Boekehouthoek area near Kwaggafontein on Friday, October 24, 2025.
According to police spokesperson Jabu Ndubane, the victims have been identified as 32-year-old Lucia Thembisile Mahiyane and her children, Bokamoso (7) and Karabo Ngele (4).
The suspect, believed to be Lucia’s husband, allegedly confessed to his uncle that he set the vehicle ablaze with his wife and children inside, at the Zithabiseni Bridge area. Police later found him at his grandparents’ home in Boekehouthoek, foaming at the mouth, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary findings indicate he ingested poison shortly after the killings.
Provincial Police Commissioner, Major-General Zeph Mkhwanazi, condemned the horrific act, stressing that domestic disputes and gender-based violence must never end in bloodshed. “Such conflicts should be resolved through lawful and counselling channels, not through violence,” he said.
Police have opened three counts of murder alongside an inquest docket, as the tragedy adds to South Africa’s growing crisis of gender-based and family-related violence.
