A Bishop from Ngqamakhwe at Amathole District in Eastern Cape, has been arrested for allegedly strangling his thirteen-year-old daughter with a wire hanger for clothes and beating his three old granddaughter, who is now hospitalized.
It is believed that the suspect attacked his daughter in his home at eMaxelegwini village on Tuesday afternoon November 15th. The victim was the youngest amongst her siblings and she was in Grade 7. Police have confirmed that a 69-year-old Bishop was arrested immediately for being allegedly involved in the murder of his daughter.
An anonymous relative said the Bishop’s wife made a protection order against him earlier this year for an alleged assault.
According to the police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, preliminary investigations indicated that there was an interim protection order pending against the suspect. The protection order was scheduled to be finalised in court next week, however the couple still lived together in the same property.
The Bishop’s wife was preparing for her sister’s funeral in another household in the village and went back to her house to look for the protection order. While doing that her daughter came back from school and asked to go with her to her aunt’s house.
“The mother told her daughter to change school uniform first and left her behind as she was rushing to her sister’s house. She then became worried that her daughter had not emerged from their home and turned back,” W/O Nkohli.
When the mother was approaching the house she saw her husband leaving the house through another gate. And when she got to the house, she found her daughter dead. It is alleged that the man used a rope to tie the hands and legs of his daughter and then strangled her with a wire hanger.
The suspect went to his sister-in-law’s house where the funeral was being arranged and found the three-year-old. He allegedly hit so badly with a stick and was stopped by a villager. The toddler was taken to Butterworth hospital before being transferred to Frere Hospital in East London.
It is believed that the couple had a heated argument earlier this week.
A relative said, “We are angry more than being hurt, what kind of argument is it that would lead him to take out his anger on innocent children.”
After the Bishop retired three years ago, the relative said he changed from being a pleasant person and became abusive towards his wife.
The Director of Khula Community Development Project Mr Petros Majola, who is also a child rights activist in Eastern Cape called for effectiveness of protection orders to be revisited. He said that they are not always effective in safeguarding the applicants.
Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said, “The Bishop is due to appear in Ngqamakhwe Magistrate Court on a charge of murder and possibly a charge of assault would added.”
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