PMB murders: South Africans have become desensitised to violent crime

22-year-old Kershwin Goldstone has been arrested and charged with her murder, as well as the murder of two others who were stabbed to death in a neighbouring home, shortly afterwards.

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He also faced charges of aggravated robbery. A television set and jewellery were some of the items he allegedly stole.

 Goldstone made his first appearance in the Pietermartizburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

 O'Connor attended proceedings. He believes communities have become immune to violent crime because incidents occur on a daily basis across the country.

The family held a service for Patricia in the week following her death.

 “The following week we had a private service to say goodbye to my mother. The rest of the family resides in Johannesburg, so it was an opportunity to get together and work through this as a family and one understands the value of those rituals,” said O’Connor.

Meanwhile, Action on Elder Abuse has described the murders as ‘deplorable’.

The group’s Pat Lindgren says the elderly are vulnerable, especially those who are mentally or physically frail.

“It is a blight on our society how we treat the elderly. Dignity and respect seem to have gone out of the picture. They have made a huge contribution to our country as a whole, to their communities and families,” she said.