Durban man who killed wife and kids will go on trial

A Chatsworth man killed his wife as she slept and bludgeoned his children to death when they came to investigate what was happening, prosecutors will claim when Rajan Kandasamy goes on trial in the Durban High Court.

Kandasamy was indicted in the Chatsworth Magistrate's Court on Tuesday and his case was adjourned to November 24, when a trial date is likely to be set. He killed his family in December 2013.

According to the indictment, Kandasamy and his wife Versha, known as Mala, were having marital problems.

The two returned home to their Chatsworth home in the earlier hours of December 29 last year.

Kandasamy allegedly armed himself with two wooden maces and beat her to death in her bed.

As he was doing this, his children Megandran and Melarisa Kandasamy entered the bedroom.

He struck them both on their heads killing them as well. He then fled.

Read: What fuels family murder?

The bloodied and battered bodies of his wife Mala, 41, his daughter Melarisa and his son Megandren were found in the family's home on 29 December.

Their friends called police after they failed to attend a memorial service.

Relatives handed him to police on New Year's eve.

The cause of death according to the post mortem was "blunt force injuries to the head".

Earlier it was reported that Kandasamy had used a Gada, an ancient Indian mace, to kill his wife and children.

Read: Murder and torture: who can do this?

The State is expecting to call 17 witnesses when Kandasamy does ultimately stand trial.

Kandasamy's murder once again raises the spectre of domestic abuse in South Africa, where it is estimated that a woman is killed every six hours by her intimate parther. That is 4 women every day and the highest rate of domestic violence in the entire world. 

Police statistics on domestic violence in this country are limited, but 15 609 murders and 64 500 reported rapes in 2011 to 2012 suggest massive levels of violence in our homes.

Read: Health24 users recount their experience of domestic violence

It has been suggested that the mace Kandasamy used were made of wood, here is a traditional mace/gada.

but here are

And here are images of traditional Indian gada or mace used by Hindu gods. From Indianclubs.com.au