[It could also be a family murder… one can’t be sure… Jan]

By Cindy Zeilhofer
Date: January 11 2005 at 07:47AM

Huddled together in the corner of their parents’ bedroom, teenagers Morne and Stephan Swanepoel met their fate when they were apparently shot dead in cold blood by their father.

The boys, aged 16 and 14, were found metres away from where their mother, Janine, 32, lay dead.

The body of their retired father, Louis Paul, 40, was found in the opposite corner of the bedroom.

Police were not willing to speculate on the sequence of events which culminated in the death of the Swanepoel family.

According to neighbours, the Swanepoels moved into their Magalieskruin home a few months ago.

They were described as a quiet family who kept to themselves.

Louis Paul was apparently under police investigation for his domestic conduct. Police spokesman Inspector Percy Morokane did not divulge details of the investigation and could not confirm if the investigation was for domestic violence.

A firearm found among the bodies is believed to be the murder and suicide weapon. A post-mortem will determine whether the family members died from multiple gunshot wounds or a single shot each.

Before Monday’s tragedy, Janine had taken her two sons shopping for school uniforms before the start of the school year on Wednesday.

The three of them apparently stopped at a fast-food outlet where they picked up take-aways for lunch.

Upon arriving at home, it is believed Louis Paul Swanepoel told the family’s domestic worker, Caroline Matjila, 49, to leave the house.

Matjila made a dash, jumped over the wall and alerted a neighbour who did not want to be identified.

Several gunshots were then heard. The neighbour alerted police who were on the scene within minutes. Police entered the home and found no signs of a struggle.

The family’s half-eaten lunch was found on the kitchen table along with the children’s newly purchased uniforms. It is believed Morne was a pupil at Hoe(171)«rskool Montana.

All seemed quiet until the officers entered the main bedroom where they discovered the four bodies. The bedroom was apparently covered in blood and the scene was described as gruesome.

Janine’s parents were alerted and made their way to Pretoria on Monday night from Carletonville. Her husband’s parents, from Johannesburg, had not yet been contacted at the time of going to press.

Curious onlookers watched as police cordoned off a large section of Georgelily Street. The unusual sight of two police mortuary vans brought home the horror and magnitude of the tragedy in the usually quiet suburb.

Morokane said an inquest docket and three murder charges had been opened.

Barbara Louw of Inter Trauma Nexus said abuse was a pattern of controlling behaviour. “As far as committing suicide or murder goes, it is an extreme expression of helplessness, hopelessness and aggression,” she said.

By late last night family members of Janine had arrived and the house was in the process of being cleaned.

This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on January 11, 2005

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click…/p>