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A suspect "known to the family" has been arrested for the triple murder of a Phoenix mother and her two daughters - who were killed in their home in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday morning - police confirmed on Saturday.
Jane Govender, 44, and her daughter Rackelle, 16, were found dead by Govender’s husband at about 07:30 on Friday morning. He was thought to have been working night shift and had not been home at the time of the murders, authorities said.
The body of their elder daughter, 22-year-old Denisha, was later found in a cupboard.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said a post-mortem was still being conducted, but it is believed that Jane and Rackelle had been strangled, while Denisha had been stabbed.
"A 45-year-old man who is known to the family was traced and arrested [on Friday] night. He will be charged with three counts of murder and will appear in the Verulam Magistrate's Court on Tuesday," Zwane said.
The husband – whom police said is not the arrested suspect - had arrived home that morning and knocked at the door, which went unanswered.
He found the bodies after climbing on to the balcony and entering the house through a back window.
On Friday, the Govender's Longcroft Drive home was surrounded by hundreds including neighbours, bystanders and family members as police forensic teams and investigators combed the crime scene.
A resident in the complex who did not want to be named told News24 there were constant patrols and good security in the area.
