Monswamy Family Murder Case: 27-Year-Old Suspect Indicates Intention to Apply for Bail

• The three men accused of murdering seven members of one Newark family made their second appearance in court
• Bongumenzi Mpungose (27), Linda Mthiyane (28), and Mthandeni Mthiyane (21) were arrested for the murders of seven people
• The suspects previously indicated that they would be abandoning their bail application, but one has changed his mind

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

KWAZULU-NATAL – One of the men accused of the brutal murders of the Monswamy family has indicated that he intends to apply for bail.

Bongumenzi Mpungose’s legal aid lawyer told the KwaDukuza Magistrate’s Court that the 27-year-old would make a bail application. Mpungose appeared in court on 23 June 2026 alongside Linda Blessing Mthiyane (28) and Mthandeni Luyanda Mthiyane (21).

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The trio face 17 charges, including kidnapping, robbery and premeditated murder. One of them is also charged with rape, while another is charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm. They were arrested on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, a day after seven members of a Newark family were abducted from their home and brutally murdered.

Suspect to file bail application

During their appearance on Tuesday, in which the media were again barred from showing their faces, the court heard how one of the suspects planned to apply for bail.

The suspects previously indicated that they would abandon their bail applications due to the public outrage.

“The Legal Aid attorney told the court that they would approach the court with a date for the application following consultation with the accused,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Natasha Ramkisson-Kara said.

The murder case has now been postponed to 31 July 2026 for further investigations.

Why were the men arrested?

The three men were nabbed after a stolen cellphone led police to them. The cellphone was stolen from the Monswamy family before they were brutally murdered.

Allen Monswamy, his wife Sandy and their children Kraidon and Shamaria were abducted from their home on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, along with their relatives Gonosagren Padayachee, Mooniamma Padayachee and Mariama Happanah. Their bodies were dumped in a veld in Melmoth, over 150 km away from their residence.

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Police were alerted to the crime after the domestic worker arrived at the house and found that it had been broken into. The suspects were arrested and led police to the bodies. One of the suspects reportedly worked for the family.

Other stories of multiple family members being murdered

Briefly News reported on several horrific stories over the years where more than one member of a family was murdered.

• In 2021, a Limpopo man confessed to killing seven members of his family on Christmas Day.
• A man from Mpumalanga was arrested in June 2023 for the murders of four family members.
• Four members of a KZN family were killed in a shooting in Port Shepstone on 1 January 2026.

Source: Briefly News