Johannesburg - An argument over a pair of boots ended in tragedy, with a 43-year-old man stabbed to death and a 28-year-old man behind bars facing a charge of murder.
After the stabbing, both the deceased and the suspect started running in different directions.
The suspect allegedly ran to his shack to change his blood-stained clothes, while the victim ran around aimlessly as his wound oozed blood. The victim crossed a nearby railway line and a main road before collapsing into some bushes, where he died.
The brother of the suspect, who was allegedly arguing with the deceased when his sibling intervened, has since disappeared and is being sought by the police.
The incident occurred at an informal settlement in Booysens, Joburg, at about 10am on Sunday.
Joburg police spokesperson Captain Xoli Mbele said the information they received was that the now-deceased man was at a nearby tavern playing snooker when the brother of the suspect entered.
The deceased allegedly started demanding his boots from the man.
As they argued, the man's younger brother entered the tavern and allegedly took his brother's side and began manhandling the deceased.
The three were then told to go outside, where the suspect allegedly drew a knife and stabbed the deceased once in the upper body.
"The suspect fled to his house to change clothes but members of the community apprehended him. They beat him up and called the police," Mbele said.
Mbele said that immediately after being stabbed, the deceased ran for more than 200 metres before collapsing.
Mbele said some residents saw him and ran after him. However, when paramedics arrived on the scene, he was declared dead.
"If people had not seen him, we would have not found him because the place where he collapsed is not where people normally walk," Mbele pointed out.
He said that the deceased used to be a soldier and the boots he wanted returned to him were allegedly part of his uniform.
The police also disclosed that he used to be in exile. At the time of his death, he was allegedly wearing a camouflage top normally worn by uMkhonto we Sizwe veterans.
The suspect has been charged with murder.
The Star