Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal – 26 November 2025
A quiet rural community in the Thafamasi area of Ndwedwe, approximately 33 kilometres north of Verulam in KwaZulu-Natal, was shattered on Tuesday afternoon when a 43-year-old man allegedly bludgeoned and stabbed his elderly parents to death inside their rondavel home.
The victims have been identified as Phumzile Rachel Ngcobo, aged 74, and her husband Mziwamandla Ngcobo, aged 79. Both sustained multiple stab wounds and severe blunt-force trauma to their faces. Paramedics who arrived at the scene declared the couple dead on site, with the bodies discovered lying in a large pool of blood.
The gruesome discovery was made after a local councillor contacted Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) at 13:26 on Tuesday, reporting that an elderly couple had been murdered several hours earlier and that their son was actively preventing neighbours from entering the property. According to the initial call, the suspect was standing at the entrance of the home armed with a knife, refusing to allow anyone inside.
RUSA immediately dispatched Reaction Officers and paramedics from their headquarters in Verulam. En route, the team linked up with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) from Ndwedwe SAPS, who were already responding to the same incident. Together, the combined units proceeded to the remote Thafamasi location to locate the exact homestead.
Upon arrival, officers encountered the 43-year-old son outside the rondavel. He was taken into custody without further incident. Only after the suspect had been secured did the team enter the traditional round dwelling, where they were met with the horrific sight of the deceased couple.
Inside the rondavel, police recovered the weapons believed to have been used in the attack: a knife and several pieces of firewood or logs that had been used to bludgeon the victims. The severity of the injuries to the faces of both Phumzile and Mziwamandla Ngcobo indicated that considerable force had been applied during the assault.
Following his arrest, the suspect was found to have self-inflicted stab wounds. Reaction Unit paramedics treated him at the scene before he was transported under police guard to a nearby hospital for further medical care. At this stage, authorities have not confirmed whether the man suffers from any diagnosed mental health conditions, and the motive for the killings remains under investigation.
The bodies of the elderly couple were examined by members of the SAPS and later removed by the state mortuary services for post-mortem examinations, which are expected to determine the exact cause of death and the sequence of injuries sustained.
Ndwedwe SAPS has opened a double murder docket, and the 43-year-old suspect is expected to appear in the Ndwedwe Magistrate’s Court once he is deemed medically fit to do so. Detectives from the local station, supported by provincial investigative units, are continuing their inquiries into the circumstances that led to the fatal attack.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the tight-knit Thafamasi community, where violent crimes of this nature are rare. Neighbours who had attempted to intervene earlier in the day expressed horror at being turned away by the son, unaware of the full extent of the bloodshed inside the homestead until law enforcement arrived.
Reaction Unit South Africa, a private emergency response organisation that frequently assists both the public and state services in the greater KwaZulu-Natal region, confirmed that sensitive body-camera footage and additional photographs from the scene are being withheld out of respect for the family and to preserve the dignity of the deceased.
As the investigation progresses, authorities have urged anyone with information that could assist the police to come forward. The tragic loss of Phumzile Rachel Ngcobo and Mziwamandla Ngcobo has left the Ndwedwe area in mourning, with community leaders expected to offer support to relatives and neighbours affected by the brutal killings.
