A Pretoria man released his family on Tuesday after holding them hostage for nine hours, police said.
Captain Lucas Sithole said the man took his 13-year-old son and 43-year-old wife hostage at their Eldoraigne home on Monday night.
”The man held them at gunpoint and threatened to kill them due to family-related problems. The police were called in by concerned neighbours who heard screaming.
”A hostage negotiator was called in and he spoke to the man for almost nine hours before he eventually surrendered and released his family,” he said.
A case of common assault and possession of an unlicensed firearm has been opened.
Sithole said: ”At this stage there is no clear motive why the man threatened to kill his family, but he is undergoing counselling.”
He will appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday. — Sapa