A Silent Attack: Uncle Arrested for Allegedly Murdering His Two-Year-Old Niece in Kwamhlanga

The community of Phola Park in Kwamhlanga, outside Nelspruit, is reeling after the alleged murder of a two-year-old girl by her own uncle in a sudden and silent act of violence that has left a family shattered. The 24-year-old suspect, Petros Makua, handed himself over to police on Monday and made his first court appearance on Tuesday, charged with murder.

According to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, the tragedy unfolded on Sunday evening, 1 February 2026. Three children, aged between two and six, were playing outside when the suspect allegedly emerged from the house carrying a knife.

“Without uttering a word, he allegedly grabbed his two-year-old niece, forced her to the ground, and inflicted a fatal injury to her neck before leaving the scene,” Ndubane stated. The other two children ran inside to raise the alarm.

A Frantic Rush and a Heartbreaking Outcome

The injured toddler was rushed to a local hospital but was certified dead on arrival. Police who responded found the child’s body with a deep neck wound. The motive for the attack remains unclear and is the focus of the ongoing investigation.

The acting Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, condemned the “gruesome act,” extending condolences to the family and vowing that “the law takes its course.”

Makua appeared briefly in the KwaMhlanga Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 3 February. The case was postponed to 12 February 2026 for a formal bail application.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, raising harrowing questions about the nature of the attack and the profound betrayal of trust within a family. As the legal process begins, a family mourns an unimaginable loss, and a community grapples with the chilling reality of violence that entered a child’s world without warning and without a word.