Police in Limpopo have launched investigations into two unrelated murder cases after a 17-year-old boy and an unidentified woman were killed in separate incidents over the past week.
A 34-year-old man is expected to appear in the Senwabarwana Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He will be charged with the murder of his 17-year-old nephew in My Darling village, Limpopo.
Victim accused of theft
Police initially opened an inquest after the teenager was found dead at his home with minor forehead injuries on Tuesday afternoon. Following intensive investigations, the case was upgraded to murder.
Preliminary findings indicate the suspect, the victim’s uncle, had travelled from Gauteng to the village last weekend to attend a funeral. It is alleged that later on Saturday night, witnesses saw him dragging the teenager behind his vehicle. The victim had reportedly been accused of stealing household items.
After the alleged assault, the suspect returned to Gauteng without seeking medical help for the boy. He was arrested by police upon his return to the village on Friday.
In a separate incident in Mapuve village, Limpopo, police launched a murder investigation and a manhunt after a woman was fatally stabbed on Sunday.
Another suspect sought in woman’s murder
Ledwaba said officers were directed to a hut on a homestead by the older property owner. Inside, they found the woman lying in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds to her upper body. She was declared dead at the scene.
The hut belongs to the owner’s son. Preliminary investigations suggest the killing followed a domestic dispute.
“It appears there was a fight between the deceased and her partner, with whom she shared a child and was in a relationship,” said Colonel Ledwaba.
The suspect, believed to be the woman’s partner, fled the scene, leaving behind his cellphone. A sharp object suspected to be the murder weapon was recovered nearby. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
Police have urged anyone with information about the second suspect’s whereabouts to come forward as investigations in both cases continue.
