Valentine’s Day turns deadly as Mpumalanga teacher allegedly shoots girlfriend and her daughter

Valentine’s Day is meant to be about flowers, soft apologies and second chances. In Elukwatini, it ended in sirens, flashing blue lights and a family shattered forever.

A 56-year-old teacher has been arrested for murder and attempted murder after a shooting in the early hours of Saturday morning left a 45-year-old woman dead and her 22-year-old daughter wounded.

Police say the violence unfolded just after 2am.

Gunshots in the early hours

According to Mpumalanga police, officers were called to the scene at around 2.10am following reports of gunfire.

When they arrived, they found a young woman in the street. She had been shot in the foot. Despite her injury, she was able to tell police that her mother’s boyfriend had pulled the trigger and that her mother had also been shot inside the house.

Officers entered the home and found the 45-year-old woman lying on the floor in a pool of blood. She had sustained a gunshot wound to the head.

Emergency Medical Services declared her dead at the scene. Her daughter was taken to hospital for treatment.

The suspect was found inside the house and arrested immediately. Police confiscated the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.

He is expected to appear in the Albert Luthuli Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder and attempted murder.

A profession meant to protect

What has left many residents shaken is the suspect’s profession. A teacher someone entrusted with shaping young minds now stands accused of one of the most intimate forms of violence.

In small communities like Elukwatini, news travels quickly. By Saturday afternoon, social media timelines in Mpumalanga were filled with disbelief and anger. Some posts expressed heartbreak for the daughter who survived. Others questioned how domestic disputes continue to escalate to gun violence so often in South Africa.

The fact that this happened on Valentine’s Day only deepened the shock.

A country battling gender-based violence

Acting Mpumalanga provincial police commissioner Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi condemned the incident and extended condolences to the family of the deceased.

He also voiced concern over the continued scourge of gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa a crisis that has haunted the country for years.

From high-profile national cases to quiet tragedies in rural towns, the pattern is painfully familiar: arguments that spiral, firearms within reach, women paying with their lives.

Valentine’s Day often brings a spike in domestic violence call-outs, according to advocacy groups. The pressure of expectations, strained relationships and alcohol can create a volatile mix. While not every celebration ends in tragedy, the timing of this killing forces uncomfortable reflection.

The survivor left behind

Lost in the headlines is the 22-year-old daughter who survived. Shot in the foot, she now faces not only physical recovery but unimaginable emotional trauma.

She witnessed the aftermath of her mother’s death. She identified the alleged shooter. She will likely be a key witness in the case.

Her life, like so many others touched by gender-based violence, has changed forever in a matter of minutes.

The bigger question

South Africa has some of the highest rates of intimate partner violence in the world. Despite awareness campaigns, stricter laws and repeated public outcry, the numbers remain stubbornly high.

Major General Mkhwanazi urged members of the public to seek help when facing personal challenges rather than resorting to violence. It’s a plea heard often but rarely acted on soon enough.

As police investigations continue, a family prepares for court proceedings instead of healing. A daughter recovers in hospital without her mother. And a community is left asking how another woman’s life could be taken so brutally.

On a day meant to celebrate love, Elukwatini woke up to grief instead.