WATCH | Pietermaritzburg teen and mother killed in flat attack

A Woodlands family in Pietermaritzburg have been left devastated after attempting to save the lives of their 15-year-old niece and her mother, who were allegedly strangled and stabbed by a man known to them at their Woodroffe Flat residence. Brooklyn Hemmero, 15, was strangled, and her mother, Christina ‘Nikki’ Joseph, 34, was stabbed multiple times. Brooklyn was rushed to Northdale Hospital, where attempts to resuscitate her failed, while her mother, who was found in a pool of blood by family and community members, died en-route to hospital.

Brooklyn’s paternal aunt, Cherryl Hemmero, said they have been unable to sleep since Tuesday night and are heartbroken over the murder of the teenager and her mother. We rushed to the flat to help my niece, who we heard was unresponsive, and her mother had been stabbed. “We tried to get them help, but they passed on.

We are shocked, we are in pain. We have lost two lives,” Hemmero said. Community members, who were seen outside the Woodroffe Flat on Wednesday morning, became emotional when speaking about the incident. One community member, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “We came from church and saw a whole lot of ambulance vehicles and SAPS members at the flat, and then we heard that two lives were taken.” Woodlands Councillor Garth Middleton condemned the incident, calling for justice.