Murder, mayhem marked grim year that 2018 was
Violent crime reared its ugly head in numerous cases of cold-blooded murders throughout the year.
In July, 11 people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a minibus they were travelling in, dispatching more than 200 bullets.
The occupants, mainly taxi drivers, were returning to Gauteng from a funeral of a colleague, Nkosi Mthembu, in KwaZulu-Natal.
The attack occurred along the R74 between Colenso and Weenen.
In October, police discovered seven bodies of the Khoza family in their Vlakfontein home, south of Johannesburg, after neighbours had noticed a foul stench emanating from the house.
Ernest Mabaso, 27, and Fita Khupe, 61, who were arrested days later, stand accused of killing the family.
Mabaso, through an affidavit he submitted in the Protea magistrate's court, admitted to murdering the family members and raping three of them. Their bail hearing will commence on January 24.
Last week, four-year-old Lerato Rapuleng was stabbed in the neck, back and stomach by her mother's lover in Bophelong, south of Johannesburg, after her mother, Mamokete Rapuleng, received a call from her ex-lover, who apparently wanted to buy a birthday cake for the toddler.
The 22-year-old suspect was arrested and is expected to apply for bail in January.
Earlier this month, an eight-year-old boy stabbed his step- father in an apparent attempt to save his mother, who was being stabbed by his step-father.
The incident happened in Tornado, KwaThema.
The woman was stabbed to death in front of her three children - with the other two aged three and 10 months.
The alleged killer suffered several stab wounds on his upper body and was admitted to hospital after he was arrested.
Five families were left mourning after five men were shot and killed, execution- style, at their friend's house in Phumula, outside Germiston, in Ekurhuleni.
They were attacked at night by unknown men who shot them in the head and upper body.
The North West capital, Mahikeng, ground to a standstill as residents engaged on a violent protest calling for former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo to step down. Mahumapelo's government had been at the centre of corruption allegations, including of dodgy dealings with the controversial Gupta family.
The violent protests saw public buildings and infrastructure damaged and dozens of shops looted. It claimed at least two lives in Mahikeng and Taung. Both were protesters.
Grandmother Keitumetse Nkgothwe, 75, from Gopane village, near Zeerust, was brutally murdered in March.
Residents decided to take the law into their own hands, tracked down a man they suspected was the killer and hanged him. They later found out that he did not kill the granny.
Seven people were arrested for murder and are expected to appear at the Lehurutshe magistrate's court in March.