HORROR MURDER: Poisoned, strangled, locked up
THE Pretoria mother and her two children who were allegedly murdered by their father last year reportedly survived poisoning four months before their deaths.
The poison, which was sprinkled on pizza, killed the children's uncle, Jacob Mokalapa, in August last year, while Connie Mpanyane and her daughters Priscilla, 7, and Joy, 9, were rushed to hospital and survived.
Mamelodi police confirmed that an inquest docket was opened after the pizza poisoning incident and that investigations were still under way.
Police said the two cases were being investigated separately.
"Unless our investigations show that the same suspect is responsible for both cases, we are not going to link the cases," a spokesman said.
On that night, the family had just eaten pizza that had been bought by the suspect, Evans Mpanyane, when they started feeling unwell.
Four months after the incident Mpanyane was arrested for allegedly strangling his family to death. It is alleged that Mpanyane used a rope to strangle Connie in front of their children.
According to the court docket, after killing his wife of 14 years, Mpanyane put her lifeless body in the boot of the car and drove to a secluded area where he dumped her body.
Her body was found in an open veld near the notorious Moloto road outside Pretoria.
At the time Mpanyane, who worked as an engineer in Germiston, had locked the kids in the car and later strangled them to death.
He was arrested after a farm dweller, who saw him dumping his wife's body, blew the whistle.
The police then set up a roadblock on Moloto road.
When they stopped him, they found the lifeless bodies of the two girls on the back seat.
The rope he had allegedly used to strangle them with was found next to them.
He later pointed out where he had dumped his wife's body.
Last week the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court refused to grant Mpanyane bail and postponed his case to March 28.
The case will now be heard in the high court.
Mpanyane faces three counts of murder.
Connie's father Phineas Ramaila said the family was still struggling to come to terms with the killings.
"Why didn't he just chase them away if he no longer wanted them in his life?" he asked.
Murder victims survived poison before their deaths
HORROR MURDER: Poisoned, strangled, locked up
THE Pretoria mother and her two children who were allegedly murdered by their father last year reportedly survived poisoning four months before their deaths.
The poison, which was sprinkled on pizza, killed the children's uncle, Jacob Mokalapa, in August last year, while Connie Mpanyane and her daughters Priscilla, 7, and Joy, 9, were rushed to hospital and survived.
Mamelodi police confirmed that an inquest docket was opened after the pizza poisoning incident and that investigations were still under way.
Police said the two cases were being investigated separately.
"Unless our investigations show that the same suspect is responsible for both cases, we are not going to link the cases," a spokesman said.
On that night, the family had just eaten pizza that had been bought by the suspect, Evans Mpanyane, when they started feeling unwell.
Four months after the incident Mpanyane was arrested for allegedly strangling his family to death. It is alleged that Mpanyane used a rope to strangle Connie in front of their children.
According to the court docket, after killing his wife of 14 years, Mpanyane put her lifeless body in the boot of the car and drove to a secluded area where he dumped her body.
Her body was found in an open veld near the notorious Moloto road outside Pretoria.
At the time Mpanyane, who worked as an engineer in Germiston, had locked the kids in the car and later strangled them to death.
He was arrested after a farm dweller, who saw him dumping his wife's body, blew the whistle.
The police then set up a roadblock on Moloto road.
When they stopped him, they found the lifeless bodies of the two girls on the back seat.
The rope he had allegedly used to strangle them with was found next to them.
He later pointed out where he had dumped his wife's body.
Last week the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court refused to grant Mpanyane bail and postponed his case to March 28.
The case will now be heard in the high court.
Mpanyane faces three counts of murder.
Connie's father Phineas Ramaila said the family was still struggling to come to terms with the killings.
"Why didn't he just chase them away if he no longer wanted them in his life?" he asked.
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