Man attacked sons, stabbed wife to death and then ended his life

A Chatsworth man who stabbed his stepson twice, then slashed the wrists of his nine-year-old son before killing his wife, was found hanged from a tree the next day.

Zaheera Rehman (Sholene), 40, was stabbed six times in her chest during an altercation with her estranged husband, Muhammed Rehman, 35, at their home in Montford at around 7.30pm on Sunday,

Rehman allegedly also stabbed Zaheera’s 12-year-old son - from a previous marriage - twice and then slashed the wrists of their nine-year-old son.

Zaheera died on the operating table in hospital in the early hours of Monday morning. Both children are still in hospital.

Rehman, who had been on the run since the stabbing incident, was found hanged from a tree at a park in Arena Park on Monday morning.

His brother, Althaaf Rehman, said their family was baffled by the murder-suicide.

He said he was thankful that his nephews, who were in his brother’s care when the couple separated, did not suffer major injuries.

“I do not think it was my brother’s intention to harm the children. It appears that they had tried to defend their mother when they were injured. 

“My brother and I had built our houses on my father’s property and we all lived in the same yard. On Sunday, I was watching TV with my son when Muhammed’s youngest son ran to my gate. He was bleeding from his hands. I thought he had been attacked by an intruder. I never imagined that my brother would have inflicted harm on them,” said Althaaf.

“Before I could ask him any questions, my nephew told me that his older brother was also bleeding. I immediately got my keys, grabbed both the children and put them into my car to take them to the hospital. 

“They were in shock and having panic attacks. They struggled to breathe and were crying hysterically. As we approached the hospital, they told me their parents were fighting and that my brother had cut them with a knife.

“I struggled to comprehend what was going on. They then said their mother was also stabbed. I did not know that she was visiting them at the time.

“The children lived with Muhammed. Zaheera had not lived with them for a few months. But they were trying to reconcile and as a family we gave them the necessary support,” he added.

He said when he learnt that Zaheera was also injured in the house, he called his neighbour and asked him to check on her.

“My neighbour found her in a pool of blood. She had multiple stab wounds. He brought her to the hospital, but she died a few hours later, due to the extent of her injuries.

“I asked the children what their parents were fighting about. They said they did not know as they were in their bedroom while their parents argued in the kitchen,” added Althaaf.

“On Monday morning, detectives from Chatsworth SAPS were at our house when my wife received a call from a relative. His friends had reported that my brother had been found hanged from a tree in Arena Park. I rushed to the scene with the detectives and was met with a gruesome sight. My brother had ended his life." 

Althaaf said their family was grateful for God’s hand of protection over his nephews.

“The children are recovering well. Social workers are consulting with them at the hospital.  They are eating and talking, but they are traumatised. While social media is making it seem as if they are critically injured, we want to assure the public that they are okay.

“The children were discharged on Monday for their parents' joint funeral, and we took them back to the hospital on Tuesday morning for the remainder of their treatment. I spoke to them and tried to make them understand that their parents loved them, despite what happened. I will be taking full responsibility for them and will do my best to support them for as long as I am alive." 

He said despite their differences, the couple were loving parents and they tried to raise their children together as best as they could.

“We are upset about the speculation on social media. My brother was not on drugs, and he worked hard to take care of his family, my parents, and his wife’s family. We do not know anything about a protection order against my brother, or any history of violence.

“We are a family of building contractors, and he did general maintenance and had his own business. He was helpful and a good person. He was a full-time dad who cooked and cleaned for his children.

“He gave both his sons a haircut on Sunday, and they were happy to spend time together as a family. Muhammed and Zaheera were good people. Zaheera had respect and love for my parents, and they shared a close bond, despite the couple’s differences.

“My father, who is 67, is not handling their deaths well. Muhammed took good care of our father, who suffered two strokes and a heart attack. We cannot imagine what could have happened that led to this and we do not know how we will overcome this,” Althaaf added.

Moulana Mohamed Tariq, spokesperson for the Sunni Jamiat Ulama, said he faced pressure from the family for the release of the bodies on Monday. 

“I was put under tremendous pressure to facilitate the release of the bodies due to religious protocols, but sometimes these protocols become barriers in the justice system. I explained to the family that because the woman was killed and a thorough investigation was necessary, we would not rush to get the body released.

“The couple’s joint funeral was held on Monday after investigations were complete. The incident was a reminder that there is a dire need for programmes to assist families and victims of GBV,” he said.

Tariq, who is also a member of the Chatsworth Spiritual Crime Prevention Forum, said there was concern about the continuous rise in GBV cases.

“The father’s intent was to kill the mother and the children. We cannot accept this. Surely they must have screamed and called out for help. There was speculation as to the circumstances around the murder and suicide, but we cannot condone GBV attacks, no matter the circumstances. 

“Whatever happened, nobody deserves to die that way, and the innocent children should not have been subjected to the attack and trauma. As a religious sector, we cannot be silenced about this. We will offer the children counselling and be with them every step of the way on their journey of healing and grief,” he added.

Tariq commended the Chatsworth SAPS for their swift response in assisting the children involved in the attack.

“As a theologian body, we are not only deeply concerned about the growing crisis of domestic violence but also firmly believe that we as a society cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up collectively as law enforcement, religious leaders, community members and organisations, to speak out, take action and support victims of domestic abuse.

“This tragedy should be a turning point that unites us in purpose to build safer homes and a more compassionate society,” Tariq added.

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