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Boy, 8, and girl, 4, found hanging in bedroom

FAMILY TRAGEDY: Captain Andrew Motlhabi at the house in Mabopane. Pic. Kopano Tlape. Sowetan.
FAMILY TRAGEDY: Captain Andrew Motlhabi at the house in Mabopane. Pic. Kopano Tlape. Sowetan.

Gershwin Chuenyane

Gershwin Chuenyane

A 41-year-old Pretoria teacher, who allegedly hanged his two young children at their home in Mabopane on Tuesday night, was arrested moments before committing suicide.

Simon Motshele, a teacher at Mafanele High School at Klipgat, had apparently been having marital problems.

He allegedly hanged his son Rebaona, 8, and daughter Goitseone, 4, at their home in Block X at about 7pm. Rebaona was found hanging from the lamp fixture in the main bedroom and Goitseone was found hanging from the headboard.His wife, Maggie, a teacher at Tidimalo Primary in Winterveldt, was away from home on the day. However, Motshele, who had already prepared two chairs and fixed his own rope from the lamp fixture in the passage, was disturbed by two friends who arrived in the nick of time. He could not kill himself and tried to flee, but was stopped and arrested because one of the two friends was a policeman.Marico police spokesman Inspector Erica Roos said yesterday: "When they (the police) arrived at the house they found furniture, crockery and glasses broken and thrown around the house."In the bedrooms they found the bodies of the two children hanging by their necks."She said evidence was found to suggest that Motshele had tried to commit suicide by hanging himself.A neighbour told Sowetan that Motshele had earlier borrowed a knife and told her that he suffered emotional pain. "I had nothing to suspect because I know him as someone who likes cooking." son Rebaona, 8, and daughter Goitseone, 4, at their home in Block X at about 7pm.

Rebaona was found hanging from the lamp fixture in the main bedroom and Goitseone was found hanging from the headboard.

His wife, Maggie, a teacher at Tidimalo Primary in Winterveldt, was away from home on the day.

However, Motshele, who had already prepared two chairs and fixed his own rope from the lamp fixture in the passage, was disturbed by two friends who arrived in the nick of time.

He could not kill himself and tried to flee, but was stopped and arrested because one of the two friends was a policeman.

Marico police spokesman Inspector Erica Roos said yesterday: "When they (the police) arrived at the house they found furniture, crockery and glasses broken and thrown around the house.

"In the bedrooms they found the bodies of the two children hanging by their necks."

She said evidence was found to suggest that Motshele had tried to commit suicide by hanging himself.

A neighbour told Sowetan that Motshele had earlier borrowed a knife and told her that he suffered emotional pain.

"I had nothing to suspect because I know him as someone who likes cooking."

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