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Axe-wielding man kills three in South African township (Roundup)

Mar 23, 2009, 9:17 GMT

Johannesburg - A young man went on a rampage in a South African township on Sunday, allegedly killing thee people and injuring eight others, including an old woman and a baby, police said Monday. The attack took place in the community of Mayflower, near Ermelo in the north-eastern Mpumalanga province, Superintendent Sibongile Nkosi told German Press Agency dpa. 'The man, aged 20, went on the rampage, killing three people. Eight people were taken to hospital,' she said. 'I think he was using an axe.' One of the victims was a woman, whose age was given variously as 70 and 75 by police. A baby was also killed, apparently while it was being carried on its mother's back, Nkosi said. SAfm public radio reported that five of the injured were seriously wounded, and that the mother of the baby was among the victims. It also reported that the attacker was still attending high school. 'We don't know what caused this young man to commit such a terrible crime,' Nkosi said. 'He was attacking randomly.' The attacker was also injured after being attacked by members of the community, who tried to stop him. He was taken to a hospital, where he was being held under police supervision. Unlike last year's attack by a young white gunman in a black squatter camp in North-West province that left four people dead, the attacker was black and was from the community, Nkosi said.

Africa News

Axe-wielding man kills three in South African township (Roundup)

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