Blind granny, 83, killed, daughter’s throat slit

A BLIND grandmother was stabbed to death and her daughter is fighting for her life in hospital after her throat was slit, during a brutal attack at their Westham, Phoenix, home on Monday evening.

Kamatchie Naicker, 83, and her daughter, Shirley Appalsamy, 63, were repeatedly stabbed with a large butcher’s knife. A small kitchen knife was also found at the scene.

Naicker, a grandmother of nine, sustained multiple stab wounds and was declared dead by paramedics. 

Appalsamy, a mother of two, was also stabbed multiple times and her throat slit. She was resuscitated before being taken to a hospital and remains in a critical condition. 

Speaking to the POST on Tuesday, Maggie Pillay, one of Naicker’s five daughters, said the family had been left traumatised by the brutal attack. 

“How could someone do this to them? Who would kill an elderly and defenceless person in such a brutal way? My mother was blind. I don’t want to even imagine what she went through while being attacked and not being able to see her attacker or what was happening. 

“I live near my sister's home. My mother lives with her and my brother-in-law. He had called and asked if my mother and sister were with me because they were not at their home. A few minutes later, he called back and said 'please come now because something terrible has happened'.

“I ran to their house. By this time my brother-in-law had managed to break open the front gate and door. When I went inside the house, I felt as if my heart was about to stop beating. I saw my mother curled up on the floor in the passageway near the entrance to one of the bedrooms. She was lying in a pool of her blood. My sister, who was not far from her in the passageway, was also badly injured.

“It is a sight that will haunt me forever. All we can do now is pray for my sister’s recovery as she fights for her life in hospital,” she said. 

Pillay said the family hoped for justice. 

“There has been speculation on the various platforms about who their attacker is. But we are leaving it in the hands of the police to arrest the person and make sure they are punished for what they have done. 

“My mother was an amazing woman, who lived for her family. She loved us all so much. We looked forward to celebrating her 84th birthday on August 1, and now we have to plan her funeral."

Prem Balram, the head of Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa), said their Phoenix Operations Centre received multiple calls from neighbours for medical assistance after they heard a man calling out for help. 

“Rusa’s reaction officers and paramedics were immediately dispatched and arrived at the scene at about 6.45pm. They were informed by the man that he arrived at his residence and found the door locked and the women were not responding. He thereafter gained forced entry into the house and located both females in the passageway,” he said.

Balram said Naicker was already dead.

“She sustained multiple stab wounds to her face and body. Her daughter’s throat was slit and she sustained large stab wounds to both her cheeks, neck and hands. She bled extensively from her injuries.

“A large blood stained butcher's knife was found in the passage. A second smaller knife, which bent in the attack, was also recovered,” he said. 

Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo, a provincial police spokesperson, said Phoenix SAPS were investigating cases of murder and attempted murder. 

No suspects have been arrested.

THE POST